Adamu Abuh, Abuja
Coalition of Civil Society Groups for National Stability and Cohesion have called on aggrieved Nigerians at the receiving end of poverty and high cost of living to be patient with President Bola Tinubu.
Convener, Rising UpforaUnitedNigeria, Comrade Solomon Adodo, at a joint press conference in Abuja on Monday, assured that President Tinubu would surely put smiles on the faces of Nigerians soon.
The coalition described the planned #End Bad Governance# protest as an invitation to anarchy, disorder, and mayhem, adding it behoves well-meaning Nigerians to rally support for national stability and cohesion.
The coalition described the leaders of those behind the planned protest as unpatriotic, faceless, as such, unknown, whose motive is to cause chaos and push for a regime change and must be roundly rejected.
“We must resist any attempt at throwing our country into turbulence or chaos. It will all look very idealistic and colourful on the surface, but the outcome is always dire, unsavoury, and highly regrettable,” the coalition warned.
Acknowledging the hardship occasioned by President Tinubu’s decision to remove subsidy on fuel, the coalition assured that President Tinubu, who is a listening President, would make amends on any policy injurious to Nigerians.
They noted: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a listening leader; time and time again, he has reversed himself based on public opinion. He did so with the appointment of the Board of Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Governing Councils of tertiary institutions, cybercrime protection levy, etc.
“Therefore, we must avoid the destructive protests being proposed by persons we do not know, do not understand their personal or group grievances, cannot reach out to for discussions, and do not appreciate their end game.
“It will be unreasonable for anyone to pretend that there are no issues. Mr. President himself has severally acknowledged these issues and has been proactive in addressing them. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved centres for the conversion of petrol and diesel-powered vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) at no cost to the vehicle owners under the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (P-CNGi). The NNPC has assured that the refineries will soon commence optimal performance.
“Furthermore, Mr. President has established the Ministry of Livestock to tackle the perennial farmers and herders clashes, which has hindered massive food production and animal husbandry. The government of Tinubu has just approved a minimum wage for workers in view of the realities of the times with a promise to review after three years.
“The wage award is being paid to cushion the effect of the hardship. Fertiliser and other farm inputs are deliberately being distributed by the government to encourage farming. This is in addition to the massive distribution of grains across the country.
“Security agencies are aggressively clamping down on the bandits that terrorised communities and prevented farming activities. The student loan scheme is an initiative to help students pay their tuition without challenge. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a listening leader.
“Mr. President deserves our support at this critical time. We must stand by him while offering fair and constructive criticisms where necessary. It is not enough to lend ourselves to the grand designs of those whose interest is to destabilise and set the country ablaze. We must be watchful and protect our democracy and country. Consequently, we must all reject the protest as proposed.
“As an alternative, we should hold national rallies to support the government and peacefully make specific demands on issues and areas we demand action from the government. We have also opened up channels to further aggregate the innovative ideas of the young and middle-aged citizens as we work with Mr. President to drive our country to greater heights.”
The coalition thereby called on security agencies to be on red alert just as they appealed to political, religious, and opinion leaders to prevail on their subjects not to participate in the protest.
Members of the coalition drawn from across the country include Danesi Momoh for Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative, Igwe Ude-umanta for Guardians of Democracy and Development, Zainab Sule for Citizens Support for Transparency and Good Governance.
Others include Godwin Oluoha Governance Economy and Development Monitoring Initiative, Abdulquadri Shuaibu Nigerian Youth Advocacy for Good Governance, Jonathan Elaigwu Citizens United for Development Initiative, Angela Bala Rural Empowerment and Development Initiative, Steve Eriba Independent Public Service Watch.
They include Suleiman Musa Civil Society Groups for Accountability and Probity, Sani Madaki Northern Youth Congress of Nigeria, Patience Abimaje Youth Initiative Skills Training and Leadership Development, Kennedy Tabuko Community Awareness for Economic Empowerment Initiative, Abdulmumini Tijani, National Association of Northern Nigerian Students, Onlede Olumuyiwa Citizens Awareness Against Corruption and Social Vices.
