Protest: Tinubu working hard to build strong economy, Okotete tells youths

A former women leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Executive Director, Business Development of the Nigerian-Export Import Bank (NEXIM), Hon. Stella Okotete, has appealed to Nigerian youth who are disgruntled with the current situation to rethink their decision to embark on a nationwide protest.

In a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, Okotete, who was a ministerial nominee last year, urged the people to be patient with President Bola Tinubu, adding that the Nigerian situation was not an isolated one but a global phenomenon.

She asserted that she is not unaware that the essence of the protest was to draw the government’s attention to the suffering of the downtrodden in the country, and even though the organisers may have good intentions, there are fifth columnists planning to hijack the protest and turn it into a demonstration that may be uncontrollable.

Okotete, however, assured that President Tinubu is working hard to build a stronger economy that will bring prosperity to all its citizens.

The statement read in parts: “Dearest Young Nigerians, we are the pride of Africa, we are the present and future gains of Nigeria, and we are the Nigeria the world celebrates at all levels. I bring you greetings at this trying moment of our national life.

“As it stands, we are in a challenging situation all over the world. This situation has called for the concerns of great compatriots who are determined to push for urgent and drastic measures to address the difficult situation we have found ourselves in.

“The fact remains that this difficulty is not an isolated one attributed to our dear country Nigeria alone. People all over the world are feeling the brunt of economic downturns and hardship. Expectedly, this setback has drawn reactions from people of other countries as well as ours.

“In Britain, Germany, France, and other European countries, there were several protests to draw the government’s attention to the desperate situations which have suddenly bedeviled the world.

“In recent times, the Kenyan citizens reacted to the inability of the government to tackle the rising cost of living and inflation. For weeks, the Kenyan economy was shut down and now is in its most fragile state, worse than before the protest started. Citizens lost friends and family members, businesses lost goods and transactions attracting hunger, shortage in food supplies, and lack of electricity as infrastructures were destroyed and also led to loss of jobs.

“The cloud is gathering here in Nigeria as we speak. As a young Nigerian myself, I understand your pain. Many countrymen are feeling the rising cost of living and are currently dissatisfied with the pace at which the government is responding to the rising cost of living and inflation. But trust me, the government is working hard to build a stronger economy that will bring prosperity to all its citizens.

“Certain persons have planned to stage a nationwide protest to draw the government’s attention to the suffering of the downtrodden in our country. Those who planned this nationwide protest may have good intentions as civilized comrades. However, there are fifth columnists planning to hijack this protest and turn it into a demonstration that may be uncontrollable.

“Recall that two major calamities hit our country three years ago: the COVID-19 lockdown and the EndSARS protest. These two events affected our fragile economy that was gradually recovering from recession. Production and supply of goods, particularly food, were distorted to the extent that we are yet to recover from those ugly incidents.

“During the EndSARS protest, many struggling businessmen and women lost quite a fortune to looting occasioned by hoodlums who took advantage of the situation.

“Some persons also wanted to use it as an opportunity to launch their political agenda by destroying government properties acquired by taxpayers’ money. Commuter buses, bus stations, and government buildings including courts were razed down. Private owned properties were also destroyed in the name of a protest.

“The crescendo of that protest, which turned out to be a mutiny, was the death of citizens who were either protesting or were security officers on national duty.

“The genuine intention of the protesters became something else as they could not control the hoodlums who took laws into their hands.

“What were the gains or achievements of that protest? Did it change the government as those who sponsored the hoodlums aimed to attain? The answer is obviously in the negative. The protest gave an opportunity to young Nigerians to realize their strength politically.

“In order to actualize their zeal to be part of government, the youths came out en masse to participate in the 2023 general election that has changed the dynamics of our political formation. The youths realized that you cannot change the government of a country through any other means except through an election. That is the essence of constitutional democracy which has come to stay in Nigeria.

“Thus, the essence of any protest is not to destroy public or private properties acquired with hard-earned money. It is to urgently draw the government’s attention to address a pressing situation urgently. Protest should therefore not be an avenue for those who lost elections or who are unhappy with the faces of those in government to ventilate their grievances. The proper way to ventilate such political grievances is to mobilize the citizens to believe in the ideals of your political party and its manifestos.

“Therefore, it must be noted that politicians who are unsatisfied with the government out of no other reason but the fact that they are not in government are pushing hard to achieve what they couldn’t achieve through the ballot. We must therefore resist this selfish attempt to destroy our thriving democracy. No politician is worth dying for.

“The government is doing its best to revive our economy by taking hard decisions such as fuel subsidy removal that has been draining our Treasury over the years. With the fuel subsidy removal, states and Local Government Councils are now receiving more money from the federation account. In the months to come, our ailing refineries and the Dangote refinery will come on stream to put an end to the importation of fuel which will save a huge chunk of our forex that will stabilize and strengthen the Naira against the Dollar.

“It is imperative to be circumspect at this crucial time by being strategic. The saying goes that peace is better than war. Let us give this government a little chance to carry out its agenda. The economic policies of this government are yielding results gradually and steadily. The optimal result is not what can be experienced overnight. It will require a little time from now to start experiencing the economic prosperity and transformation promised by this government in the Renewed Hope Agenda.

“It is on this score that I most humbly appeal to all those planning to protest next week to reconsider this plan. The consequences of such protest are dire as it may as usual lead to wanton destruction of lives and properties in a regrettable manner. This is the time to dialogue and not to provide an avenue for the enemies of Nigeria to strike.

“I implore you all to think twice and consider the population of our country and the peculiarity of the food chain of our country whereby a slight cut off of food supply from the north will trigger food shortage and inflation.

“It is solemnly hoped that we will heed the plea of the government to give peace a chance and come to the negotiation table. God bless Nigeria.”