By Israel Adamu, Jos
Thousands Of Youths In Plateau State Comprising Of Coalition Of Civil Societies ,pressure, Ethnic And Special Interest Groups Have Expressed Their Decision Not To Participate In The Planned National Protests Slated For August 1st.
Addressing Newsmen In Jos On Tuesday, The Convener Comrade Prince Miaphen Said Following The Brewing National Tension Occasioned By Threats Of National Protests By Persons, Groups And Interests That Have Remained Masked, The Representatives Of Civil Society, Pressure, Ethnic Nationalities And Special Interest Groups Met In Jos Between July 27 To July 29, 2024 To Review The Situation And Offer It’s Opinion And Take An Informed Stand In Our Considered Best Interest Of The Country.
In His Words ‘as We Noted In Our Communique, There Has Been A Consensus Among Nigerians That The Nation’s Economy Has For Long Been On The Wrong Direction, With Very Dire Socioeconomic Consequences.”
” It Appeared That Successive Governments, Especially Of The More Recent Past, Merely Designed Ways To Survive And Pass The Buck To The Next.;”
This Gave Rise To The Strange Phenomenon Of Many Citizens Arguing That The Past Government, In Which They May Have Criticized Or Totally Condemned Is Better Than The Present.”
He Said ” Though Unpopular, But Rightly And Courageously However, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Embarked On The Most Daring Economic Reforms, Taking In His Strides, Two Most Critical And Avoided Economic Regimes Petroleum Subsidy And Foreign Exchange Fixing.” Among Other Reforms, These Are Still The Most Debated In The Country, And Opinions Continue To Differ And Widen On Them. ”
The Youths In Plateau Further Alleged That The Planned Protest Aims To Destabilise The Country Through The Massive Destruction Of Government Infrastructure And Business Centers , Including Schools, Hospitals, And Railways.
Comrade Prince “while Acknowledging That Protests Are Legal And Constitutional Means Of Expressing Citizens’ Dissatisfaction With The Government, It Should Be Noted That The Timing, Method, Capacity, Environment, And Necessity For Such Protests Must Be Considered Before They Are Carried Out. In Light Of These Factors, We Would Like To Clarify And Reveal The Dangerous Signals, Schedules, Strategies, Planned Activities, And Operational Guidelines By The Promoters Of These Protests.
The Groups Added That “Let Us Also Note That Since The Incident In Kenya, Which Has Its Own Peculiarity And Influences, The Voices Of Opposition, Bitter And Disgruntled Politicians And Other Unpatriotic Interests Have Been On The Campaign Of Employing Sensationalism And Exploiting The Outcomes Of The Initial Challenges Of The Visionary And Bold Reforms Of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu To Instigate Nigerians, Particularly The Young Ones Into Unrest Because Of Hardship.”
” That Euphoria That Protests Will Become A Magic Wand With Which Things Will Be Turned Around Is The Political Opium Carefully Being Administered By The Promoters Of These Protests,who By The Way Are Some Unknown Anarchists. ”
According To The Group ” Let Us Be Clear. The Original Flyer, Picked On The Internet For These Protests, Is Titled: “end Bad Government”, And Not “End Bad Governance” As It Has Now Been Rechristened. It Is A Clear Subterfuge For The Use Of Mass Riots To Illegally Remove A Constitutionally Established Government.
Indeed, The Agenda Is Very Sinister And The Intention Is Clearly Criminal. We Wish To Call On Our Compatriots, Across The Country Not Only To Avoid Participating In Such Unpatriotic Protests But Also To Rally Support For National Stability, Peace And Progress.
Nobody Should Deceive Us Into Throwing Our Country Into Chaos. It Will All Look Very Sexy And Colourful Now, But The Outcomes Are Always Regrettable
”
Yes, We May Be Hungry. But We Cannot Be Stupid. Our Roofs Are Obviously Leaking, But We Cannot Set Our Houses Ablaze. We Are Severely Challenged But We Are Not Hopeless.”
Truly, We Are All In Nigeria, And We Recognize The Hardship Occasioned By Inflation, High Cost Of Living And Weakened Purchase Power Of The Naira. It Will Be Irresponsible Of Anyone To Pretend That There Are No Issues. Mr. President Himself Has Severally Acknowledged These Issues And Appealed For Time To Get Things Right. Nigeria Came From A Long Journey Of Misgovernance And Lack Of Long Term Planning For The Future
Consequently, We Must All Reject These Protests As Proposed. In Its Place, We Should Hold National Rallies To Support The Government And Peacefully Make Our Specific Demands On Issues And Areas We Want The Government To Address.
It Is Very Important To Also Call On Citizens To Rally Support For Government. It Is Our Patriotic Duty To Do So. We Are Going Through The Challenges Of Reforms. We Must Support Those Reforms While Voicing Our Objections To Issues We Find Objectionable. Government Will Certainly Treat Our Dissent With An Open Mind If They Are Devoid Of Undue Hostility. This Country Belongs To Us And It Is Our Duty To Make It Work.
We Are Retiring Home To Engage Meaningfully With Our People With A View To Demobilizing These Riots Clothed In The Regalia Of Protests And A Claim That It Is Citizens’ Right. Our Series Of Engagements Will Culminate In National Stability Rallies To Demonstrate That Some Of Those Who Are Hungry Are Also Ready To Defend Their Country Before Demanding For How To Make Things Better
The Groups Urged Nigerians To Remain Calm. “We Will Articulate Our Demands In An Orderly Manner Through Different Groups And Present Them To Government.” They Added .
