As the planned nationwide protest over economic hardship draws closer, the governors of Edo Godwin Obaseki, his Oyo counterpart, Seyi Makinde and the Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress are calling for caution.
In comments made in different fora, they asked the organisers of the planned protests to exercise their rights peacefully.
Obaseki spoke on Saturday at the launch of the second phase of the Christian Feeding Programme at the Saint Peters Anglican Church in Benin City, the Edo State capital, as part of efforts by the Edo State Government’s efforts to cushion the impact of the harsh economic realities.
He appealed for calm and believed the action could worsen the situation in the country.
Governor Obaseki also called on the Federal Government to be more accountable and transparent in its activities.
He insisted that part of the problem is the lack of trust from the people.
The Oyo State governor Makinde also echoed similar sentiments.
He cautioned against the destruction of properties during the protest.
While he noted that protests are within the rights of all Nigerians, he said the destruction of public utilities would culminate in the government having to spend resources – that can be channeled to more meaningful use – to fix the damage.
Makinde gave this admonition while speaking at the grand finale of the 2024 Ibadan Week organised by the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes.
The event was held at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan.
“Nigeria could be in this situation for now. We could be experiencing anger and hunger in the land and that is why our people want to protest,” he said.
“Yes, protest is everybody’s right. But remember that we used your money to build all the structures and facilities we have put in place in this state, not mine. So, if you want to protest, it must be peaceful. If you begin your protest, don’t destroy government properties, otherwise, we will have to use the money we are supposed to spend on meaningful projects to replace facilities that may get destroyed.”
The Zamfara APC equally cautioned residents of the state “against participating in the planned nationwide protest because it is likely to be hijacked by hoodlums.”
In a statement on Saturday, the APC chairman in the North West state, Tukur Danfulani fears “there’s the likelihood of criminals who have continued to make life highly unbearable to the people taking over the protest and making the security situation worse.
“So, let’s think wisely to avoid wanton destruction of our country in the name of protest because most of the countries that carried out such protests in the past are now experiencing more difficulties than what caused the protest,” Danfulani said.
He admitted that citizens are right to protest, but said “all channels of amicable resolution of the problem can not be said to have been exhausted” by the protest organisers.
