President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday formally reacted to the planned nationwide protests by Nigerian youths with an appeal to the organisers to shelve their plans, assuring them that he has listened to their concerns and working diligently to address them.
Information Minister Mohammed Idris, who briefed selected State House correspondents after a meeting with the President on Tuesday, said Tinubu urged the protest organisers to shelve the plan and await the President’s response to their complaints.
“The issue of the planned protest, Mr President does not see any need for that. He’s asked them to shelve that plan. He’s asked them to await the government’s response to all their pleas,” the minister said.
The protest against economic hardship, which is gaining traction on social media, has been scheduled to be held across all states of the Federation as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in August. The organisers of the protest have been faceless.
Prices of food and basic commodities have gone through the roof in the last months, as Nigerians battle one of the country’s worst inflation and economic crisis sparked by the government’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of forex windows.
The Federal Government, through the National Orientation Agency (NOA), and the Nigeria Police Force as well as the House of Representatives have warned against the planned demonstration.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and embattled Senator Ali Ndume asked the President to address the demands of the displeased persons, who are mostly youths.
His words: “A lot is happening, only today the National Assembly has expediously passed the bill on National minimum wage, you can see how the President is working it was transmitted only yesterday today it has been passed.
A lot of other interventions that the President has also put in place are also going to be looked at expediously in the interest of Nigerians so there is no need for strike the young people out there should listen to the President and allow the President more time to see to the realization of all the goodies he has for them.
“Highlights of other policies to cushion the effect of hardship Nigerians are feeling in town. For example, you saw that the Federal Government approved grains and rice for state governments it was delivered to them expediously. Also, the federal government, like I said that time it is just the necessary first step, government is going to continue in that direction supporting them and assuring that whatever intervention the federal government has put in place go to those that should benefit, it is very important that is being put out.
“The Federal Government is looking at strategies that every intervention would go directly to those who benefit from those interventions not middle men intervening along the way.
“You heard about the student loans board launched by Mr President, Mr President is very passionate about the fact that everyone will have the opportunity to go to school.
It is no longer a time for all of us to stay back and see our able bodied young men and women that have passed the examinations to go to tertiary institutions that have not been able to do that because their parents are not able to pay for their fees, this is now a thing of the past, government is very very desirous to ensure that happens. You know the provision that was made to the NELFUND already we have in excess what is required today and the more that people are requiring that the more the President will also give.
Idris also disclosed that government will soon come up with a scheme that will accommodate all unemployed graduates nationwide while stressing the fact that President Tinubu was committed to running an inclusive government.
According to him: “There is also the intervention the President is making for young men and women who have finished school and who are yet to get employed post NYSC. For example, there is a scheme the government is perfecting now and that will be pushed very fast so that all those young men and women who have finished school, graduates of universities and polytechnics that are not able to get jobs, they will continue to be supported by the government until such a time that those jobs are offered to them.
“The whole idea is that no one is left behind, everybody will be, it is an all inclusive government and the President is determined to ensure that no one is left behind in this attempt to march Nigeria towards progress”.
Meanwhile, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga on Saturday warned that the planned protest, if staged, could degenerate into the destruction of assets that trailed the EndSARS protest against police brutality and extrajudicial killings in October 2020.