Some Northern elite, including Dr. Umar Ardo, Hajiya Naja’atu Mohammed, Dr. Salihu Lukman, and Prof. Usman Yusuf, have backed the organisers of the nationwide protest over hardship in the country scheduled to kick off today.

This was contained in a jointly signed statement by the quartet, in which they expressed optimism that the protest would lead to political and structural changes in the North and Nigeria at large.

The statement reads in part: “As you are aware, our nation has long been facing unprecedented challenges of insecurity, excruciating poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, diseases, and a high cost of living, all on account of bad governance and corruption in public offices.”

They said they affirmed the constitutionally protected right of all citizens to assemble and protest and also acknowledged that the cause for protest against the system was valid and justifiable; hence, they stood by the youths in their resolve to exercise their right to protest.

They urged the federal government to be pragmatic in its approach to the resolution of the crisis if it hoped to amicably resolve and mitigate the risks associated with mass protests and should take some immediate steps, which included dialogue, by identifying and directly engaging with the youth leaders and protesters to understand and address their grievances.

They said that outsourcing this responsibility to others, such as traditional, religious, labour and civil society leaders, was not going to work.

They also said that as elders, while they stood shoulder to shoulder with the youths on this, they urged the protesters to remain peaceful and law-abiding during the protest, avoiding actions that might be misconstrued as violent, harmful, destructive, offensive, or threatening public peace. (Daily Trust)

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