While supported thugs using protests as a cover for violence and property destruction, President Bola Tinubu claims he is not frightened of protesters.
At a meeting with traditional leaders on Thursday at the State House, Mr. Tinubu stated that the state of the people is still very important and will continue to get greater attention. The traditional leaders in attendance were the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi.
Nigeria is making progress toward recovery. Mr. Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance, has told you this. Protests are nothing to be afraid of, Mr. Tinubu declared.
The president did, however, express alarm about the potential harm that could result from protests, pointing up that in 2020, state-sponsored thugs disrupted the historic #Endsars protest.
“The common people and the harm that will be done are our main concerns. I still remember the brand-new, 100- and 60-seater buses that burned down in Lagos, and now we are whining about transportation. That’s the issue, Mr. Tinubu stated, expressing gratitude to the traditional leaders “for talking to the citizens” in order to call off the statewide demonstrations in August due to financial difficulties.
Mr. Tinubu has enlisted the help of traditional leaders and clerics to dissuade Nigerians from participating in the protest.
Since the statewide protests were organized, Mr. Tinubu’s administration has raised the minimum wage to N70,000 and provided trucksloads of rice to states in an effort to combat famine.
Petrol prices have risen from N145 to N710 a litre as a result of Mr. Tinubu’s economic policies, which also included the decision to float the naira and remove the fuel subsidy. The value of the naira has also declined to about N1,500 to the dollar.
The International Monetary Fund and economic experts have hailed these steps as bold changes, but the resulting surge in food prices has sparked statewide calls for protests.
