Planned protest: FG pleads for more time

.Says all issues will be resolved in a way to ensure peace, stability

.NLC clarifies position on looming protest, says it’s not part of organisers

By Ihesiulo Grace & Ukpono Ukpong

The Federal Government FG, has appealed to Nigerians for more time to address the hardship bedevilling the country, saying it is not sleeping on duty.

The call is coming in the wake of the growing hardship in the country and calls for a nationwide protest against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The government described the planned protests as a “family matter”, stressing that all issues will be resolved in a way to ensure the peace and stability of the country.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made this disclosure on Wednesday in Abuja after a meeting held by members of the Federal Executive Council at the instance of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation OSGF, Senator George Akume.

In a brief interview after the closed-door meeting, Idris said: “We came together to discuss. You can see that this is not happening at the Council Chambers, it is happening at the office of the SGF and many of the ministers are here. We have discussed issues of national interest and all of us are working for Nigeria, and we hope and believe that Nigeria is going to be great again.

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“No one is going to sleep. Those who are agitating and asking for protests are Nigerians, they are our brothers, they are our sisters, they are all Nigerians and those in positions of authority, the ministers, the President, everybody, we are all Nigerians too. So, this is a family matter. This is a Nigerian family issue and all of us are looking at this issue very well and we hope that peace will prevail at the end of the day”.

When asked if the government has been engaging with the stakeholders and organisers of the planned protest, Idris said engagement has always been an ongoing thing.

“This is not a peculiar situation. Engagement has been ongoing. The President has met severally with all key stakeholders. I have also been meeting with stakeholders, other government functionaries have also been meeting with other key stakeholders.

“Engagement is going to continue and in the interest of Nigeria, we will continue to engage. We know this is the only country that all of us have and at the end of the day, Nigeria is going to be better for all of us for it”, he stated.

On the alleged insistence by some top Nigerians, including a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana that the protests must go on, Idris said the senior lawyer was entitled to his opinion in a democracy.

Some of the Ministers who were at the meeting included Nyesom Wike (FCT), Yusuf Tuggar (Foreign Affairs), Zephaniah Jisalo (Special Duties), Tahir Mamman (Education), and Abubakar Bagudu (Budget and Planning).

Others are Wale Edun (Finance), Mohammed Idris (Information), Bello Matawalle (Defence), David Umahi (Works), and the National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, among others.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has firmly denied reports that it has withdrawn from the widely discussed national protest.

NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in a statement issued yesterday clarified that NLC cannot withdraw from a protest it did not organize.

“The Nigeria Labour Congress debunks such story as patently false. The truth is that the Nigeria Labour Congress cannot withdraw from a protest that it did not organize.”

While emphasising that only the organizers of the speculated national protest have the authority to decide whether to continue or cancel it, Ajaero explained that the Congress has established internal mechanisms for decision-making processes concerning industrial actions, such as protests.

“It is only the organisers of the speculated national protest that can decide to pull out or continue with the protest. The Nigeria Labour Congress has internal trade union mechanisms especially leadership decision-making processes that its industrial actions such as protests pass through before such activities are undertaken.”

Meanwhile, despite not organizing the protest, the NLC expressed solidarity with Nigerians who are suffering due to the harsh economic policies of the government. The Congress acknowledged the dire living conditions that many citizens are facing.

“The fact that the Nigeria Labour Congress is not the body organizing the protest does not mean that Organised Labour is oblivious of the dire living conditions Nigerians have been subjected to by the harsh economic policies of government. The Nigeria Labour Congress stands in solidarity with the Nigerian people in this very trying and excruciating time.”

In a call for dialogue, the NLC urged President Bola Tinubu to engage with the protest organizers to address their demands.

The Congress however, warned that responding to the widespread anger with brute force would be counter-productive.

“We have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to invite the leaders of the protest movement to dialogue on their demands. We have advised that it would be counter-productive for government to meet the widespread anger in the land with brute force.” He cautioned

Furthermore, he urged both the federal government and sub-national governments to heed the cries of the Nigerian people and take necessary actions to alleviate their suffering.

“Once again, we implore the Federal Government and the sub-national governments to listen to the cries of the Nigerian people and do the needful,” the NLC appealed.