Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, has appealed to the organisers of the planned nationwide protest against hardship in the country, to reconsider their decision and shelve the idea so that the fragile peace in the country would not be disrupted.
Senator Barau, who doubles as the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, said President Bola Tinubu was making genuine efforts to address the country’s challenges.
LEADERSHIP reports that the promoters of the protest have scheduled a nationwide demonstration for Thursday, August 1.
In a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Deputy Senate President, Ismail Mudashir, on Sunday night, Barau urged the protest promoters to give the government more time to implement lofty programmes and policies of the administration as captured in the Renewed Hope Agenda for the country’s socio-economic development.
He said that since the government was inaugurated on May 29, 2023, it has diligently worked hard to restore the country’s glory and return it to the path of progress and prosperity for the benefit of all.
“As we all know, one year is not enough to address the challenges facing the country for decades. Various interventions have been rolled out, and more are being conceived by this administration. Short, medium and long-term measures are being put in place to tackle the challenges that have been with us for decades,” he said.
He said the recent signing of the North-West and South-East Development Commission Bills into law by President Tinubu was one of the measures to address the challenges facing all parts of the country.
He drew the attention of the promoters of the protest to how what started as peaceful demonstrations in Syria, Yemen, Libya and Sudan, turned bloody and took the countries backwards.
“Against this backdrop, l urge everyone to reflect deeply on the problem and reconsider the idea of a protest. There is a risk that the protest could be hijacked.
“This is our country; we have no place to go other than the Federal Republic of Nigeria bequeathed on us by our forefathers. Exercise more patience and allow for more time. We will get it right. The efforts of the new Government will yield the desired results, by the grace of God,” he stated.