By Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
As the commencement date for the planned nationwide protests draw closer, the Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, has urged the organisers and those plotting to burn down the country to drop the venture or be prepared to meet the strongest resistance.
Olusegun who issued the warning on Tuesday via a post on his X account, stated that resistance won’t come from the usual quarters – the security agencies, but from the silent majority that gave their mandate to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for four years.
The Daily Crucible reports that a coalition of various bodies, many of which their key planners remained largely anonymous or stay outside the shore of Nigeria are planning a protest in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between August 1 and 10 over the increasing cost of living and the economic hardship bitting the citizens due to the policies of subsidy removal and free – floating of Naira exchange rate.
The organisers are threatening to storm Nigerian states and cities with the protest hashtags such as #TinubuMustGo, #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria #Revolution2024.
But reacting on Tuesday to the threats, the Presidential aide, Olusegun said the alleged agents of chaos and destruction under the guise of protest would meet the strongest resistance of their lives.
He wrote, “Those who want to burn the country down under whatever guise will meet the strongest resistance of their lives. Not from security agencies, but from the silent majority that gave their mandate to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for four years in the first instance. We are waiting.”
Egba High Chief Kufile WarnsYouths Against Partaking In Protest
…Says It Won’t Bring Food To the Table
Meanwhile, an Egba High Chief and industrialist, Chief Oluyinka Kufile, has called on the Nigerian youths, especially organisers of the planned anti – Tinubu protests to jettison the plan and adopt dialogue instead as a tool to resolve all issues.
Chief Kufile said protest of any kind would not bring “yam or gari to the table,” stressing that the solution to the “tension and hunger” people are complaining about in the country is for Nigerians to conscientiously go into food production by returning to farming/agriculture.
The Aro of Egbaland, Ogun State, who declared that the Egba sons and daughters would not be part of the protests billed to commence August 1, cautioned the organisers to learn from history that violent protests bring no benefit to anybody.
Chief Kufile gave the advice on Monday, July 22, while fielding questions from newsmen at Ijemo town hall, Abeokuta during a press conference to commence activities marking the 110th anniversary of the Ijemo massacre and the celebration of Ijemo history, culture and heritage.
Recalling the series of events such as death of an Ijemo chief in detention, mistrust, discontents, civil unrest, strife, arsons among other factors which culminated in the massacre of scores of Ijemo chiefs and people in Abeokuta and other places on August 8, 1914, Kufile who is the Oluwo of Ijemo also cautioned the anti -Tinubu protest planners to “calm down” and understand that while it is possible to know the begining of a protest, no one could tell exactly how it wil end.
The industrialist addressed the press in company of other Ijemo chiefs, including Chief Oyewole Oyero, who is the
Chairman, Central Planning Committee of Ijemo Day Celebration August 8 and 9, 2024.
He said, “In an environment where there are issues, the only solution is amicable resolution. It is important that we have to dialogue. If there are some people that are thinking that they want to have protests that could lead to violence, I will advise them to please calm down because you know the begining of a war but you can’t know the end of it.
“So, that is my advice for people planning protests. I appeal to them to dialogue to resolve all the issues because violent protest is of no benefit to anybody. Yes there is anger but there is also room for dialogue.
“What is happening in Kenya if it happened in Nigeria we will all be dead. I have somebody who came from Ghana. Four years ago he was telling me life was unbearable. In Ghana it has been tough and incomparable with Nigeria. It has been tough but it can still be better and the only way it can be better is for each and every one of us to work together.
“If we protest, protest will not bring yam to the table, protest will not bring gari to the table. All of us have abandoned our farms. There are so many people in the cities doing nothing whereas they could be useful going back to farming .
“The only way for the current situation is for us to find a way to produce food to feed ourselves in order to reduce the tension and hunger people are shouting about.”
Similarly, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo sociocultural organisation has also declared that the South-East geopolitical zone will not take part in the planned demonstration, even as the body advised all Igbos living outside its region not to join any anti -Tinubu protest.
In the same vein, some groups such as the Coalition of Northern Youth Leaders’ Forum, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Ethnic Youth Group Assembly (NEYGA), Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN); Jigawa branch, the Students Union, and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) ad well as the Coalition of Concerned Northern Youth and Students among others have backed out of the protest.
According to New Telegraph, the Coalition of Northern Youth Leaders’ Forum, represented by National President Comrade Murtala Garba and National Secretary Comrade Dogo Shagari, distanced the association and its members from the protest, citing the likelihood of the protest being hijacked to foist chaos on the nation.
Also, the Northern Ethnic Youth Group Assembly (NEYGA) has withdrawn its support, urging Nigerian youths and student bodies to allow President Bola Tinubu more time to implement his economic reforms. NEYGA noted that current challenges stem from the previous administration and emphasized the importance of national unity.
The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore equally excused itself from the protest, praising President Tinubu for creating the Ministry of Livestock Development, which they believe will help reduce farmers-herders conflicts.
The Jigawa branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Students Union, and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have also disassociated themselves from the protest.
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) described the protest as ill-timed and counterproductive. ACF’s National Chairman, Mamman Osuman, after a visit to Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, stated that the protest was not in the best interest of the North or the country.
The Coalition of Concerned Northern Youth and Students also announced their withdrawal from the planned nationwide protest saying they don’t know the identity of the protest organisers.
•Additional report: New Telegraph.
