Although Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said that he is not scared of protests, he is quite worried about the possibility of violence and property damage resulting from such gatherings. Tinubu pledged to address the hardships of common Nigerians during a meeting with traditional leaders led by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, and the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
Despite the fact that Nigeria is recovering, Tinubu emphasised that his administration is still cautious about the hazards involved in protests, citing the disruption of the 2020 #EndSARS demonstrations by thugs with state sponsorship.
Tinubu stated, “Nigeria is on the path of recovery. You have heard it from the Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun. We are not afraid of protests.”
He noted the significant damage caused, such as the destruction of new buses in Lagos, which has exacerbated transportation issues.
“Our concern is the ordinary people, and the damages that will be done. Till today, I cannot forget the brand new 60 and 100 seater buses, down there in Lagos that were burnt down, and we are now complaining of transportation. That is the problem,” Tinubu added, thanking the traditional rulers “for talking to the citizens” to shelve the August nationwide protests over economic hardships.
Tinubu has enlisted the help of clerics and traditional leaders to urge people not to take part in the planned statewide rallies against economic woes in order to avoid repeating the same disturbances.
The government has responded to the disturbance by raising the minimum salary to N70,000 and giving grains to the states.
Petrol prices have risen dramatically, and the value of the naira has sharply declined, as a result of economic changes implemented under Tinubu’s leadership, including the abolition of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the currency. Food prices have been greatly impacted by these developments, which have also fuelled calls for protest.