Tinubu gets urgent demands from ex-minister amid heightened tension over planned protest

• President Bola Tinubu has been told to adopt dialogue and not threaten the would-be protesters
• As concerns rise over the planned protest on August 1, former education minister Ezekwesili urged the Nigerian government to address the situation with wisdom and empathy
• Ezekwesili urged Tinubu and the state governors to learn from the EndSARS violence while highlighting the distress being experienced by many Nigerians

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

On Thursday, July 25, the former minister of education, Mrs Obiageli Ezekwesili, advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's led federal government to have a genuine conversation with Nigerians.

Ezekwesili gave this admonition in a statement titled “My Position on the Nationwide Protest of our Young Citizens,” shared on her X page on Thursday.

The minister urged President Tinubu to stop threatening citizens who wish to exercise their constitutional right of expression, association and movement through a nationwide protest.

Ezekwesili's comment comes amid reports of a planned youth-led nationwide demonstration over the pervasive economic hardship occasioned by Tinubu's economic policies.

Speaking further, the ex-minister backed the nationwide protest and demanded that the government should ensure protesters are protected and supported by the security agencies.

According to her, the leadership members of the National Assembly as well as state governors across the country must not waste the golden opportunity the planned protests are offering them as holders of public positions.

Ezekwesili: What Tinubu should do

Ezekwesili said leaders in political positions should use the opportunity of the planned protests to engage dissatisfied and disaffected young citizens with utmost civility.

As reported by The Punch, she emphasized the importance of protecting and supporting the protesters to ensure peaceful demonstrations.

The former minister tweeted:

"Use this opportunity of the planned protests to engage your dissatisfied and disaffected young citizens with utmost civility. "Here are at least 2 wise actions that @NigeriaGov and Governors can take:1. Ensure that the protesters are protected and supported by the @PoliceNG and related agencies like the Civil Defense Corp to protest peacefully and orderly in presenting their demands and agitations to the authorities. Be guided by the terrible lessons of the mishandling of #EndSARSProtests. 2. Respond to the protesters with a convincing pathway and plan to achieve Good Governance on each specific issue they are protesting against or for at this time."I hope that our politicians and public officials will heed counsel and allow themselves the humility of listening and learning from their citizens at a time like this. "I wish the protesters a well-organized, orderly and peaceful protest."

Tinubu speaks on leading protests during military era

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that President Tinubu said he took part in the protest against the military regime in the country but was not violent.

Tinubu spoke on Thursday at the presidential villa when he received a letter of credence from Richard Mille Jr., the new United States ambassador to Nigeria.

The president said he has worked to uphold Nigeria’s 25 years of unbroken democracy.

Source: Legit.ng