As the planned national protest by some aggrieved Nigerians commenced today, the Arewa Community and Traders in Lagos State have strongly voiced their opposition against the scheduled protest, saying they would not be part of the protest.
Alhaji Shehu Usman, leader of the Arewa community and traders, made this position known yesterday at a World Press Conference at Airport Hotel.
Usman said the group led by him does not believe in the protests as there was no need for such against the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the moment.
Usman said this was especially so because a lot of transformation and people-oriented policies were being carried out by the Tinubu-led government, even as he expressed the belief that some fifth columnists, who wanted to set Nigeria, particularly Lagos on fire, were behind the protests for selfish interests.
“The Arewa Community and Traders in Lagos State are totally against the national protests and we are not going to be part of any plan to cause trouble in Lagos State.
“We want to implore all our members not to take part in any protest organized by faceless people. We don’t believe in protests because we don’t think we need any national protests against President Bola
Tinubu’s administration at the moment, especially when the President Bola Tinubu-led government is carrying out many transformation and people-oriented policies.
“We are not in support of the protest because we believe some fifth columnists, politicians and those who want to set Nigeria, particularly Lagos, on fire, are behind the protests for selfish interests,” he said.
Usman, while noting that every Nigerian has the constitutional right to protest peacefully, maintained that “the drums of war being beaten from various quarters in the country based on the demands of those championing the national protests, targeting Lagos State, the home state of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not be allowed by the Arewa Community and Traders in Lagos who are living in different parts of the state.”
He sadly recalled that images left behind after the #EndSARS protest of 2020 were still fresh in one’s memories, vowing against a repeat of the episode in the state.
“We don’t want a repeat of that bad event where many of our people lost properties worth billions of Naira. We don’t want another mass destruction of public and private properties in Lagos State. We don’t want another destruction of public assets in Lagos State which is the commercial and economic center of Nigeria.
