A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Uche Nwosu, has warned against the planned protests by aggrieved citizens grappling with poverty and the high cost of living.

The former Chief of Staff to the Imo State Governor, in a chat with reporters in Abuja, called on the youths warming up to partake in the protest against the policies of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration to give peace a chance.

He expressed fear that the planned protests could be hijacked by criminals and anti-democratic forces in the country.

He said: “It is true that we are passing through hard times in our dear nation, but we cannot give up like those who do not have hope. It is true that in a democracy, citizens have the right to protest, but most often the protests in Nigeria, where we have 250 ethnic groups, do not end well.

“For example, the EndSars protest, where a very peaceful protest was hijacked by people who do not mean well for the country. At the end of the day, properties worth billions of Naira and many lives were lost.

“Yes, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s policies and reforms might be harsh now, but at the end of every tunnel there will be light. He is barely a year in office now. Why don’t we give him time to correct all the abnormalities we have seen in this country, abnormalities of yesterday?

“Let’s give him time to correct them so that we can have a country of our collective hopes and aspirations. There is no place like home. Nigeria is our country. Let’s have a country where you and I will live and say this is our country.”