Protests: Obi names ‘sponsors’ as CPPE warns of N400b daily loss to economy

• Police withdraw mobile officers from VIPs
• Requesting names of organisers in order, IGP insists
• Ex-PGF DG Lukman says protest an opportunity to recruit new political leaders
• Action plot to remove elected govt, says former Taraba gov
• Utomi flays ‘panic, threats, bullying, scapegoating, falsehoods’ by state agents

The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, yesterday named the real ‘sponsors’ of the nationwide protest against hunger scheduled for August 1. Obi disclosed this when he visited Abia State Governor Alex Otti at his country home in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Council.

“When they talk about sponsors of the protest, I say the sponsors are very simple. They are hunger and hopelessness among the youth,” he said. Recall that the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said: “The malcontents planning to stage nationwide protests are supporters of Peter Obi, the failed presidential candidate of the Labour Party. He should be held responsible for whatever crisis emanates from the action.”

But in Obi’s reaction: “In the Nigerian constitution, protest is allowed. All I plead for is that those who are protesting should do so within the law and in a civil manner,” he said, adding: “Security agents should manage the situation within the law; they should not try to be overbearing.”

Also, the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprises (CPPE) warned that Nigeria could lose over N400 billion daily to the planned nationwide protest against hunger.

The centre cautioned that the protest portends grave dangers for the fragile Nigerian economy. CPPE, in a statement signed by Chief Executive Officer, Dr Muda Yusuf, said the consequences of such a huge loss for the country and the citizens would be very severe.

The statement noted that there is a high risk of shutdowns and disruptions in major economic sectors, such as trade and commerce, manufacturing, entertainment, transportation, logistics, financial services, the hospitality industry, agriculture, aviation, ICT, and construction.

This is in addition to risks to life and properties of innocent citizens, corporate bodies and government assets. Also, CPPE commended the Inspector General of Police for acknowledging citizens’ rights to protest and offering to protect genuine protesters.

“We plead with the organisers of the protests to cooperate with the police to make the planned protests peaceful and orderly,” it said. “It is in the overall interest of everyone for this to happen. Peacefulness of a protest does not detract from the potency of its messaging.

“The protest organisers should not offer a platform for elements in the country who have criminal intentions and whose agenda is to inflict pain on innocent citizens and corporate organisations and destroy public assets. We cannot fix a problem by promoting such negative tendencies.”

CPPE further advised that the protests should be short, possibly one day. “Experience has shown that the chances of protests degenerating into chaos and anarchy increase with the duration,” it noted.

“Prolonged protests create opportunities for hoodlums, miscreants and other criminal elements in the society to build momentum to unleash mayhem and destruction on the country.

“Over 90 per cent of employed Nigerians are in the informal sector. Employees in this space are dependent on daily income, and any disruption to their economic activities beyond 24 hours could snowball into major social unrest. This underlines the country’s vulnerability to prolonged protests,” CPPE advised.

The statement also urged the administration to expeditiously implement its economic stabilisation plan to ease production costs and ultimately reduce inflationary pressures.

It noted: “Trade costs are still prohibitive and need to be drastically reduced across the board in a manner that would not undermine domestic production.

“High cargo clearing costs are a major factor driving inflation, and they need to be fixed urgently. Revenue drives should be managed in a manner that does not impose additional pressures on citizens and corporate bodies.

“There is also an urgent need to prioritise fiscal frugality and transparency in the public sector in all tiers and across all levels of government, coupled with appropriate signalling and messaging that reflect current economic conditions. These are essential to earn the confidence of the generality of the people.”

This came as the Nigeria Police Force temporarily withdrew mobile police officers attached to Very Important Personalities (VIPs) to enhance its operations ahead of the protests.

A circular to that effect, dated July 25, 2024, was signed by CSP Okon E. Moses on behalf of the Commanding Officer No.2 Squadron, Police Mobile Force, Keffi Street, Lagos.

Also, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, defended the request to identify the organisers. According to him, the demand is not out of place, given the police’s mandate to ensure safety and order during the demonstration nationwide.

On Friday, the IGP had urged all groups planning to protest to provide necessary details to the Commissioner of Police in the state where the protest is intended to take place, to facilitate a successful and incident-free protest.

The IGP’s request, however, sparked a backlash, as many Nigerians condemned the police’s alleged infringing on protesters’ rights to freedom of association and expression.

Egbetokun explained: “It is vital to clarify that the IGP has never denied the constitutional right of every citizen to freedom of association and expression, but has rather, at every point, emphasised that the right is to peaceful assembly and expression.

“Also, the Nigeria Police holds the responsibility to ensure that any activity, including protests, does not pose a threat to national security. “In this wise, requesting the details of protest organisers and their leaders and the schedules of their protests which include location, period, routes etc, is a standard procedure to facilitate effective communication, ensure the safety of all participants, and prevent any unlawful activities.

“It is also vital for Deji Adeyanju to note that in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health, or for the purpose of protecting the rights and freedom of other persons as enshrined in Section 45 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, this request by the IGP is not out of place.”

JUSTIFYING the need for the protest, the former Director General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), Salihu Lukman, said it “provides a good opportunity to begin the process of recruiting new political leaders for Nigeria. Accordingly, therefore, we must appeal to the protest organisers to remain focused and vigilant and continue the path of honour by ignoring all the voices of doom who are only interested in subverting Nigerian democracy.”

Lukman also warned security agents not to use brute force against protesters. He said the military high command must be told in unmistakable terms that protests are legitimate in a democracy and no one should attempt to criminalise the legitimate initiatives of Nigerians to engage in any contestation with elected governments.

In a write-up titled ‘Defense of the Indefensible’ yesterday, he argued that President Tinubu lacks the moral latitude to dissuade aggrieved Nigerians from protesting his administration’s policies.

Lukman, who recently resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), described the ongoing attempt to block Nigerians from legitimately expressing their dissatisfaction with government policies as futile.

He said those mobilising Nigerians to confront President Tinubu’s administration and demand that it change the way it manages the country’s affairs deserve commendation.

He blamed the decision to remove fuel subsidies and the floating of the naira for the hardships that have afflicted Nigerians since the inception of the Tinubu administration.

“The government must recognise that within one year, it has created more problems for Nigerians, so much so that the hunger in the land has threatened virtually all citizens.

“If President Tinubu wants to recover whatever is left of his democratic credentials, he should listen to the cries of Nigerians and respond by reviewing his policy decisions, especially withdrawal of subsidy and floating of the naira exchange rate,” he said.

Lukman noted that the two policies could be better managed and that the problem is the speed with which they are being implemented. He explained: “Instead of anyone asking Nigerians to be patient, it is President Tinubu that must be asked to be patient and handle leadership responsibility with compassion. He must not be allowed to continue to handle things as if he is on a mission to wreck the economy.

“One can say again without fear of contradiction that the scheduled August 1 protest promises to be the most popular protest in the country since independence. The challenge before every patriot is to identify with the laudable objectives of the protest and support the organisers to succeed in providing the needed leadership required to humble President Tinubu and his government to come back to democratic order.

“Even if President Tinubu is unable to recover his progressive credentials, we need him to be a democrat who can, at least, be accessible and accountable to democratic structures as provided in the 1999 Nigerian constitution as amended.”

BUT a former governor of Taraba State, Jolly Nyame, had a divergent view of the protest, describing it as a plot to remove a democratically elected government through the back door.

Nyame, who stated this while addressing a gathering of Yoro youths and community leaders at the Catholic Pastoral Centre in Jalingo, therefore, warned youths against the action, saying the outcome might be difficult to contain.

He said: “We are all aware of the plan by some Nigerians to vent their anger on the government by agreeing to a national protest or shutdown. I must admit that in view of certain policies and long-standing national issues, the government should take the blame for some of the problems affecting our nation.

“However, we, as Nigerians, must examine our actions in the face of this unfortunate situation to see whether or not we have contributed positively or otherwise in our various walks of life to this situation.

“Whereas every Nigerian has the right to complain or protest against bad governance, the language employed by the planners is threatening, divisive, and clearly aims at removing a democratically elected government.”

Nyame added: “For this reason, I must warn you against joining the so-called national citizens’ protest being planned against the government under the guise of advocating for good governance.”

RELATEDLY, political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, described the government’s response to the planned protests as “worrisome.” He disclosed this at the unveiling of the ‘New Tribe’, a social group committed to personal integrity, social justice, and sacrificial service.

Utomi said: “The state of the motherland is certainly worrisome, so worrisome that notice by some not known people about impending protests have set off panic, threats, bullying and scapegoating resulting in prefabricated falsehoods by agents of the state.

“The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the chambers of commerce are up in arms about the direction of interest rates as monetary authorities struggle to contain inflation while high interest rates and insecurity continue.

“In this season of the unmasking of yesterday’s pretenders and the shrinking of the club of truth sayers and those who truly believe in a just society, it is not difficult to tell that the state of the motherland is in grave ill health.

“Surely, values shape human progress, and values seem to have taken flight from our current landscape, and citizens have an obligation to seek restoration

“It is for the correction of this unfortunate outcome of our current experience that the New Tribe has been birthed.”