Defence Minister urges protest planners to embrace dialogue

The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has called on the organisers of the proposed protest to shelve the idea and come to a roundtable to dialogue with the Federal Government.

According to him, President Tinubu’s reforms have started yielding fruitful results, just as the nation’s economy is on a gradual but steady path of recovery.

In a press statement signed on his behalf by the Ministry of Defence’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Henshaw Ogubike, on Tuesday in Abuja, he assured Nigerians that President Tinubu’s administration will do more to meet their needs.

He added that the reforms initiated by Mr President have started improving the lives of Nigerians, as the economic growth in Q1 2024 was the second fastest first-quarter growth in the last six years.

“Defence strategy as enshrined in the Renewed Hope Agenda in improving security is yielding results as well. Mr. President is committed to the safety of lives and property through various security interventions.

“There is serious improvement in security as most of the roads and highways hitherto closed due to insecurity have been opened. Herders and farmers clashes have been solved by the creation of Livestock Ministry and many farmers have returned to their farms. Mr President is supporting the farmers and has encouraged state governors to do the same.

“There is massive surrendering of terrorists and high-profile terrorist kingpins have been arrested,” Abubakar said in the statement.

He noted that the creation of an instrument to support students through the introduction of the Nigerian Student Loan Scheme was initiated to increase access to higher education and reduce financial burdens on students.

According to him, the massive increase in funding for infrastructure like roads, rails, energy, and irrigation (dams and channels) through the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund, RHIDF, is one of the benefits of the present government.

He further stated that the innovation of selling crude oil to indigenous refining companies in naira and the signing of the National Minimum Wage Act into law, which is aimed at enhancing the welfare of Nigerian workers, are all efforts at stabilising the economy.

He also identified the autonomy granted to the local governments as a development that will strengthen governance at the grassroots.

Abubakar, in his statement, also stressed that different levels of palliatives have been given to the state government to support Nigerians to live a better life, in addition to social security intervention to states (sub-nationals), post-subsidy removal presidential grant and loans scheme, Nigerian Youth Investment Fund, NYIF, 3 Million Technical Talents (3MTT) and Skilled-Up Artisan Initiative, SUPA.

“Since the launch of the Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, initiative by Mr President, it is expected that the cost of transportation will reduce by as much as 50 per cent, and this has unlocked the nation’s huge potential in the gas sector.

“CNG conversion centres are growing exponentially across the country, thereby creating job opportunities,” he said.