Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour, Employment, and Productivity, Senator Diket Plang, has appealed to the youths, especially those planning to carry out a protest over the prevailing hardship in the country, to heed appeals by various leaders, and embrace dialogue.
Noting that President Bola Tinubu means well for Nigeria, the senator, in a statement, said the president and his team are not resting on their oars towards repositioning the country and making life better for ordinary Nigerians.
Urging the youths and those behind the planned protest to shelve the idea, Plang said, “We also have to take cognizance of the fact that the president took over amidst a mounting economic downturn, which requires systemic reform and understanding of the people.
“Mr President is gradually fixing things; the processes have started, and he is not unmindful of the hardship in the country, hence the palliatives being rolled out to cushion the hardship.
“It is true that protest is the right of the people as enshrined in our Constitution, but we need to be careful based on the recent experience of the #EndSars protest that was hijacked by hoodlums and turned violent with the destruction of properties.
“The president needs understanding, not protest. Protest cannot fix the challenges; it can only aggravate the problems facing the country.
“Let’s cooperate with our leaders, especially the president, governors, and those elected at various levels. They need our prayers and understanding at this crucial moment.
“We have no other country. We must be united in tackling the prevailing economic hardship in the country; we shouldn’t indulge in any act that will worsen the situation.’’
The Senator representing Plateau Central Senatorial District of Plateau State further enjoined the youths in his constituency and the entire state to refrain from the protest, adding any attempt to embark on such might disrupt the fragile peace being experienced at the moment, saying there’s the likelihood of it being hijacked by some undesirable elements to foment trouble.
“For those who are planning protests, let them have patience with Mr President to fix things. It is an appeal. He just spent one year in the office.
It is also too early for those who have political ambitions to start measuring his performance.
Recall that Senate Plang recently rolled out some palliative measures, such as the distribution of 10 trucks of fertilisers to boost agriculture towards food sufficiency, and embarked on empowerment programmes: distribution of sewing machines, grinding machines, distribution of several bags of assorted grains and training, perimeter fencing, solar lighting of public schools, and sinking of several boreholes, among others, to empower people in his constituency.
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