Why FG Is Saying ‘No’ To Planned ‘Hunger Protest’-Information Minister

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji  Mohammed Idris, on Wednesday gave reasons why the Federal Government has continued to say ‘no’ to the planned ‘nationwide protest’ by young people in the country who are planning to hit the streets to protest against high food prices.

Recall that the young people in the country are planning to stage a nationwide cost-of-living protests on August 1,2024.

The minister noted that though  Nigerians have the constitutionally guaranteed right to protest, the government is however  aware  that some people are planning to make this serve as a platform to cause trouble.

Team@orientactualmags.com learned that Idris, who said this when he received the Charismatic Bishop Conference in his office in Abuja on Wednesday, said the President Bola Tinubu administration acknowledges the rights of every Nigerian to engage in protests.

The government, he noted,  is however committed to ensuring that these activities do not disrupt public order or violate the rights of others.

‘You see, the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu believes in everyone’s freedom within the laws to do what he thinks is right for him. Therefore, the President is not an opponent of protest of any kind but the President is an opponent of violence and anything that will negatively hamper the wellbeing of Nigerians. He believes and he has always been saying that within the tenets of democracy, you have every right to do whatever you want to do provided that right does not infringe on another person’s right.

Why everybody is very cautious and very weary of this national protest is because we have seen what has happened around the world. We know that it’s almost impossible to hold this protest and then have peace at the end of the day. We cannot do that because some people are waiting to take the laws into their own hands’  the minister was quoted as saying in a statement issued by his spokesman, Rabiu Ibrahim.

President Tinubu is according to him  fully aware of the genuine concerns and complaints expressed by Nigerians across the nation and he is actively working to implement effective policies aimed at alleviating the challenges faced by the citizenry and bringing relief to all Nigerians.

 ‘But beyond that, there is also another new policy that the President has formulated, which will begin to be seen very soon and that is that all young men and women who have finished universities and polytechnics and have certificates and have done their mandatory NYSC and have not been able to get jobs, will have something from the government to keep them afloat until the time they get jobs’ he said.

 President General of the Charismatic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Leonard Kawas, was also quoted to have submitted that  the conference is not in support of the planned ‘national huger  protest’.

‘Your Excellency, recently we received some calls from some other religious organizations and other organizations asking us to join in preparation for a nationwide protest, which would start from 1st August 2024.

We are here to let you know that we do not think the same. That we have rather decided to go all out and call for a truce.

We have decided to sue for peace and humbly request that our brothers and sisters who are aggrieved in one way or the other, that they should give us some time while we continue to communicate and negotiate with this government on areas that are pertinent to them’ he said-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980. Thank you