Planned nationwide protest: Minister clarifies Tinubu's position, begs Nigerians, details emerge

• Nigerians have been urged to shelve the planned nationwide protests that will be held on August 1, 2024
• The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made this appeal to the citizenry on Wednesday
• Idris maintained that President Tinubu understood the plight of the people but needed time to address the nation's concerns

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

On Wednesday, July 24, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, explained why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's government opposed the planned protest over Nigeria's prevailing economic realities.

Minister clarifies Tinubu's position on planned protest. Photo credit: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Source: Facebook

"Some people are planning to hijack protest", Minister

He noted that while Nigerians have the constitutionally guaranteed right to protest, the federal government was aware some people were planning to hijack the demonstration to cause trouble.

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As reported by The Punch, the minister who stated this when he received the Charismatic Bishop Conference on a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja on Wednesday, said the President Tinubu-led administration acknowledges the rights of every Nigerian to engage in protests.

According to Idris, the government is equally committed to ensuring that these activities do not disrupt public order or violate the rights of others.

Speaking further, Idris said Tinubu is 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.

Protest: ‘It’s a family matter, give us time,’ FG begs Nigerians

Describing the planned protests as a “family matter”, the government said all issues would be resolved in a way to ensure the peace and stability of the country, Vanguard reported.

“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 by his spokesperson, Rabiu Ibrahim.

The protest tagged ‘EndBadGovernance’ has contnued to generate reactions in the polity and has been scheduled to be held across all states of the federation as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in August.

Peter Obi denies link to nationwide protest

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that LP presidential candidate Peter Obi has accused the federal government led by President Tinubu of plotting to arrest him.

Obi spoke while reacting to the claim by President Tinubu's aide Bayo Onanuga that he was behind the planned nationwide protest slated for August 1st, 2024.

Obi's spokesperson, Yunusa Tanko, described the allegations as lacking any shred of proof, rather part of a series of plots being hatched by the presidency to blackmail the former party's flagbearer.

Source: Legit.ng