Royal fathers from across the country, who met with President Bola Tinubu on Thursday, warned against protests that may be hijacked and violent. Their meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja came against the backdrop of the protest planned by some youth to take place on August 1.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
Speaking to correspondents after the meeting with the president, the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, affirmed that it is the civic right of Nigerians to protest, but they must be sure that it will not be hijacked.
He said, “People that are out there to protest, it’s their civic right, but let them put a face to it and don’t let it be hijacked by people that have ulterior motives. That is our stand.
“We condemn such acts fully; we traditional rulers are not engaged in people, especially the youth, coming out to start looting and to start breaking down law and order.
“We are parents; we are traditional rulers; we are closer to them; we are going to go back home and continue to engage them.
“It is very difficult to build, but it is the easiest to destroy. We are all stakeholders in this country; we should be stronger as a nation together than individually.
“The President has said it, and he will continue to say it. Any leader that you don’t like, wait and vote him out. He is open to dialogue.
“We know that challenges exist in Nigeria; we know that, but are we going to destroy our nation by ourselves? Is that what we’re all after?
“We should talk to ourselves. It’s important for us to know that today, it’s a completely different spin. The government, ably led by the President, is willing to engage and dialogue and bring governance very close to the people.”
The Ooni stressed the commitment of President Tinubu, saying that he has carried the traditional rulers along in governance in a way that has never been done by previous administrations.
Oba Ogunwusi added: “Today it’s a new twist and a new spin from the political leadership of our dear country. For the very first time, the traditional rulers were properly engaged in terms of the plans of government and governance, their achievements so far, and where they were having challenges.
“This is long-awaited. We’ve been waiting for it, but today we’re very excited because we’re closer to our people and we can bring that feedback back home.
“Stewardship from the Federal Executive Council, directly to the traditional rulers, has never happened in our nation before. This is the first time we’re all experiencing it.
“We have traditional rulers who have been on the throne for 40 or 50 years; today is the very first time we will be addressed properly by the Federal Executive Council.
So there is a proper bridge between the governed and the people in charge of government.
“So, it’s a very beautiful take-home for us because we don’t lock our palaces; we are more exposed to the people that we actually rule over.
So, it’s a different twist and spin from our dear President, and I want to use this medium, on behalf of all traditional rulers, to appreciate him. No leader in Nigeria has ever done it. So for us, it’s all-encompassing.”
On his part, Dein of Agbor, Keagborekuzi 1 Ikechuku Gbenoba, revealed that, from what the president told the monarchs, the government is finally recognising that the country is in dire straits.
He warned that care must be taken not to set the country on fire.
The Agbor King stated: “The take-home message for me is that, hearing from Mr President directly, I can see the passion.
“But at the same time, I think the government is finally understanding we are on the precipice.
“Our youths are our future, and I think today we’ve demonstrated that the government, with the officials, do have the hearts of the nation in our minds. We will listen to our youths because they lead the future.
“The power and strength of Nigeria certainly lie with the young people. We feel your pain; I’m a young person myself.
“It’s been 24 years since I’ve been back, and it’s been 24 years since I’ve started seeing the nation go in a very unpalatable direction, but by God’s grace, I think if you give us the chance, this protest, I know that it’s catching very high in your neck, but if you give us the chance, let us not destroy our own country.
“I’ll ask you what you think of Libya. Libya was a beautiful country. What has happened to Libya? We don’t want it to happen here.
“Let’s go home. Let’s continue to strive the best that we can and continue to work with the government to see if we can offer some solutions.
“I think that that would be best rather than to destroy property or injure ourselves.”
Also speaking, the Emir of Zazzau, Nuhu Bamali, called for patience, confident that Nigeria will regain its lost glory.
“Nobody will be worried about the protests in any place in the world, and we have seen what has happened in other countries and governments being brought down.
“As an ex-diplomat, I have seen what happened in other countries, and that is why I am in a position to say what happens in other places.
“So, we are calling on our people to exercise patience and listen to the words of wisdom. We are very optimistic Nigeria will bounce back to its former position as the leading country in Africa,” the Zazzau Emir stated.
He added that the royal fathers apprised Tinubu of the problem in the North, particularly insecurity.
“The message we are giving back to our people is to be calm, exercise patience, and also listen to the words of wisdom coming from the government.
“The president has given us the blueprint of what he has been doing over time, and we are hopeful that, by God’s grace, it will be alright.
“Though we have made it very clear to him, the main problem in this country, especially in the north, is insecurity. If the security situation is addressed, certainly people will go back to their farms, and the issue of hunger will drastically reduce and disappear,” Bamali declared.