The Coalition of Middle Belt Leaders and Middle Belt Ethnic Youth Leaders have urged Middle Belt youths to avoid participating in the upcoming protest billed for 1st to 23rd August 2024.

What the planners of the protest are planning to do

The groups alleged that the planners of the protest are plotting to lay a military-style siege. They’ll do this in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). They plan on blocking entrance and exit routes to the city, all in the Middle Belt region. This will create confrontation with security personnel or isolate and make the seat of government vulnerable to non-state actors.

Statement of the Leader of the Coalition of Middle Belt Youth Leaders

Speaking on behalf of the coalition yesterday in Abuja. Leader of the Coalition of Middle Belt Youth Leaders, Comrade Nasiru Jagaba, says that the protest is in the works by the masses who the worsening economic hardship has hit. While in reality, there are faceless groups of individuals championing the proposed nationwide protest from behind the scenes.

He observed that those planning the protest have humongous funds to mobilise, misinform, and push innocent citizens to occupy the streets of Nigeria. They have a hidden agenda to cause violence, destruction, and disruption.

Jagaba further alleged that this group of individuals can go to any length to set the country on fire. And make the government ungovernable at the expense of the lives and property of innocent citizens. All because they did not get what they thought was their due in a Tinubu Presidency.

He said, “We, in the Middle Belt, believe these efforts to set the country aflame are not motivated by altruism but by their selfish ambition. We are aware that paid thugs and criminals have been armed to cause chaos and unrest and ultimately destroy lives and property. While we agree that there is hardship, we believe that the present situation is an inherited challenge that should not be resolved at the expense of Middle Beltans.”

Jagaba urged Middle Beltans to stay calm and stay away from the planned protest that will destabilise our peace, adding that they will explore a better approach to communicate their thoughts on the current economic setback.

“Our premise for calling for this boycott is the security of our people, the Middle Beltans, especially our countless rural dwellers who suffer incessant massacres from militia groups.”

Calling on the Nigerian President for his intervention

He called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to get back with his team to craft sustainable ideas that are capable of making life livable for Nigerians across the length and breadth of our country. If the present team is unable to deliver, the President should headhunt those who can.

While we acknowledge President Tinubu’s effort to clean up the damage of the previous administration. We urge him to continue to be more equitable, particularly to Middle Belt Ethnic Nationalities. We assure that we will never partake in destroying this effort to recover Nigeria. Also, we wish to also challenge President Tinubu to cut back on expenditures on public office holders in consonance with the reality in our country,” he added.