Governors yesterday led in cautioning protest promoters, saying there will be no room for a repeat of the 2020 #EndSARS which wreaked havoc on many cities.
Although they acknowledged the freedom to protest, the governors said it must be peaceful.
Governors Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo) and Duoye Diri (Bayelsa) spoke at different occasions.
Southeast governors spoke in unison against the planned protest through their chairman, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma.
Oba of Benin Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and chairmen of local governments in Lagos State, among others, also cautioned against violent protest.
For the second time in 48 hours, Informational and National Orientation Minister Mohammed Idris explained why promoters of the protest should shelve the idea.
Yesterday, a high-level meeting at the Aso Villa seat of power attended by Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator George Akume, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, and Defence Minister Abubakar Badaru was held on the likely breach of national security, it was learnt.
On Monday, Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun underscored the need to keep the peace if a protest must be staged by any group.
He warned that violence will not be tolerated because the police will protect national assets.
The 2020 #EndSARS protest was initiated by youths to campaign against the brutality of the police outfit Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
The protest turned violent, leading to killings, looting, and destruction of public and private property and national assets.
Hundreds of millions of naira worth of properties were destroyed.
Abiodun, who met with a coalition of youth organisations in Abeokuta, the state capital, appealed to them to constructively engage the government in finding lasting solutions to national problems instead of embarking on protests.
He said: “There are calls for mass protests across the country and the first thing that agitates one’s mind is: is that the way to present our case to government?
“Is that the way to constructively and objectively engage with the government by advertising and planning mass protests?
“Is there something behind those who are calling for these protests? Is this another plan by those who have tried their luck and have lost? Is this their own way and shortcut to see how to frustrate the government?
“Young men and women, you have no other country than this country. I am sure, like many of you, there is no country in the world where you can walk like your own, except in Nigeria.
“There is a Yoruba proverb that says ‘beheading is not the solution for a headache’. If there are issues, let us discuss them, let us find a way around them, and let us manage and correct them. Let us not cut off the head or attempt to cut off the head because of a headache. That will amount to decapitation.”
Abiodun urged the youths to become solution centres by bringing in their vibrancy and ingenuity in resolving national challenges.
Aiyedatiwa emphasised the importance of constructive engagement and dialogue in addressing the challenges.
He appealed to the youth, especially students, to give President Bola Ahmed Tinubu more time to address their complaints.
The governor, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Students’ Affairs, Kevin Olaolu, said: “We urge all students to support the Renewed Hope Agenda, which aims to bring about positive change and development in our country.
“In the spirit of unity and progress, we call for peace among all Nigerian students and emphasise the importance of constructive engagement and dialogue in addressing our challenges.”
In Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, Diri advised youths to avoid being used by disgruntled politicians to cause trouble in the name of demonstration.
Douye Diri
The governor, who commended Bayelsa youths for their peaceful conduct during the #EndSARS protest, called for vigilance by security agencies, council chairmen and traditional rulers to avert any eventuality.
At a meeting with leaders of Ogboinbiri, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Diri said: “I like to call on you again to remember the #EndSARS protest and be disciplined and keep our state safe.
“We are getting reports about some politicians that lost elections and want to use the protest to cause havoc. We will not accept that in Bayelsa State.
“Every local government chairman and every king in their domains have to be vigilant.
“We are a state that needs development and we should not allow anybody to thwart the developmental efforts of our state.”
Southeast governors oppose protest, says Uzodimma
Uzodimma said while a protest is legitimate in a democratic setting, the proposed action is questionable because the motive of the faceless organisers is unknown.
He said the protests could worsen the economic hardship caused by the global recession and heat the polity.
Uzodimma advised the organisers to embrace dialogue instead of insisting on protest.
He said: “Democracy is about the opinion of the people and the protest is allowed in a democratic setting. Every protest must be reasonably conceived to be able to make political sense.
“I think it’s too early at this time in the life of this government for anybody to come out to say he wants to protest.
“First of all, there has not been any engagement where those who are sponsoring the protest were able to tell us the reasons for the protests.
“Secondly, given the global situation today and the insecurity in the country, we have a very fragile political environment that if not managed and protected very well, it may collapse the entire country.
“Those who are going to protest, what is the reason for the protests, and if they have no reason for the protests, I think our advice is that well-meaning Nigerians, citizens of this country should guide our country very jealously.”
He added: “I think it is a wrong time for anybody to do any protest because the implication of doing that, if care is not taken, is that it may be hijacked, like the #EndSARS experience where criminals hijacked an innocently conceived agitation by young Nigerians.
“This is another kind of temptation. Those behind the protest have not come out openly to say they’re behind it. There is a motive that is yet to be unravelled.
“I think that we are not in support of the protest. We are not going to support any protest that has no programme, that is not discussed, that nobody knows what the problem is.
“If you are protesting, what do you want the government to do? Because the reason for protests is that they want an issue to be addressed. What are the issues?
“In my view, I think there is no need to overheat the polity, overheat our environment and put our people in a position where the hardship that is occasioned by economic recession all over the world is further worsened. So, I advise against the protests.”
