Shelve planned protest, 170 Reps urge youth to embrace dialogue

About 170 members of the House of Representatives on Thursday appealed to Nigerian youths to cancel their planned nationwide protest due to the current hardship being felt across the country.

The 170 members, under the aegis of the “New Dawn Caucus – 10th Assembly,” made the plea in a communiqué at the end of its 1st Session Dinner at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, on Wednesday, 24 July 2024.

The communiqué was signed on behalf of the 170 members by Marcus Onobun, Leko Gambo, Jeremiah Umaru, Martins Esin, and Ojema Ojotu.

The communiqué read in part: “Members of the New Dawn Caucus – 10th Assembly held an end-of-first-session dinner at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, on Wednesday, 24 July 2024, and resolved as follows:

“Planned hardship protest: While acknowledging the right to peaceful protest, the caucus appeals to Nigerians, particularly the youths, to reconsider the planned hardship protest and instead engage in dialogue with the Federal Government to address the economic challenges faced by the populace.

“New Minimum Wage: The caucus commends both chambers of the National Assembly for the expeditious passage of the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act and is pleased with the reduction in the review period for the minimum wage from five to three years.

“Security: The caucus urges all security chiefs and agencies to take decisive action to curb insecurity in the country.

“Solidarity With Nigerians: The caucus commends the Honourable members of the 10th House for demonstrating empathy by deciding to forgo 50 per cent of their salaries for six months in light of the economic hardships faced by citizens.

“Vote of Confidence: The caucus passes a vote of confidence in the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Tajudeen Abass, for his sound leadership and proven ability to unite members of the House for the greater good.”

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