Protests

By Uzair Adam

On Monday, the Federal Government announced the distribution of an additional 10 trucks filled with 50kg bags of rice to each state. These bags will be available for purchase at designated locations for N40,000 each.

During a council meeting, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, informed State House correspondents that this initiative aims to alleviate poverty and address the high cost of living.

Idris stated, “The Federal Executive Council believes that most of the demands made by protesters are already being addressed by the government. Therefore, there is no need for further protests, as the government is actively working on these issues.”

“The President has listened to those planning protests and is already taking action on their behalf. For instance, the government is making efforts to ensure food availability.

“In the previous Council meeting, we announced the distribution of 20 trucks of rice to state governors for distribution to those in need, particularly the poorest in society.

Additionally, rice is being sold at about 50% of its usual cost, with each bag priced at N40,000.”

Idris explained that the rice has been transported to various centers across all states, where it can be purchased for N40,000 per bag. “Initially, 10 trucks have been provided to each state.

“This is just the beginning, and while we acknowledge that the supplies may not be sufficient, these are necessary first steps. More interventions will follow,” he concluded.

By Prof. Abdussamad Umar Jibia

It is no longer news that the Asiwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu-led Federal Government has been inviting anyone it considers influential to help it prevail on Nigerian youth to stop the planned August 1-10 protests. The organisers of the protest, as I was told in most of the social media platforms I asked, are hunger, insecurity, and poverty, among the other things mentioned by the angry youth. 

Food sufficiency and security of lives and property are the necessary requirements for the prosperous living of any society. Every other thing follows. 

The fact about the people Tinubu has been inviting is that Nigerians consider them part of their problem. Traditional and religious rulers, politicians, etc., no longer command the respect they used to command in those days. A hungry man is angry with every other person, including a fellow hungry man. So, how can they listen to the pot-bellied traditional and religious leaders of these days? 

Certain other things have not been helpful to Tinubu. At this critical moment of his administration, he should not have allowed the controversy around Dangote Refinery to surface. Even before the removal of the oil subsidy, we were told that the Dangote refinery would provide a final solution to the problem of fuel supply, which has been part of our national life for a few decades. Just as production is set to begin properly, we are being told that Dangote refined fuel is not good after all and that the refinery has not been licenced. How do you expect Nigerians to be happy?

Since the altercation between Dangote and NNPC officials started, Nigerians have become aware of the Tinubu family’s underground oil business. I was just reading an essay in a social media group about how Oando, a Tinubu family-owned company, began to refine oil in Malta and export it to Nigeria through a series of underground moves. 

True or false, the story is now well known to every Nigerian who can afford a China-made Android phone. The onus is on the Tinubu administration to give its own side of this story. Until then, Nigerians will continue to believe that the Dangote Refinery initiative is being killed to advance the personal interests of the President. Would that not be enough to mobilise them to protest?

However, President Tinubu can avert the protests by taking certain bold steps, which would only take a patriotic leader to implement.

Tinubu, as a devout Muslim, can copy from Umar bn Abdulazeez, an Umayyad Caliph. Before Umar became the leader of the caliphate, he led a very lavish lifestyle like his wife, who was a princess of the caliphate. As soon as he assumed office, Ibn Abdulazeez put all his wealth and that of his family into the public treasury. He lived the rest of his life humbly and died honourably. Today, he is remembered as one of the best examples of leadership in human history. Is that too much for President Tinubu?

Mr President should remove every obstacle around the proper take-off of the Dangote refinery. It doesn’t matter whether or not Alhaji Aliko Dangote supported the APC candidate in the 2023 presidential election. Dangote is a Nigerian, and Nigerians stand to gain from his investment. The Federal Government should provide the refinery with Nigeria’s crude oil and make sure the price falls to the barest affordable minimum without short-changing the investor. Note that the present hardship confronting Nigerians began with the removal of subsidy and the rise of fuel pump price. 

President Tinubu should give licences to other Nigerians who want to set up refineries. As a matter of national policy, the importation of refined petroleum products must stop immediately.

The Tinubu Government should give a timeline it can stick to for the resumption of operations of its three refineries. Nigerians are aware that billions of Naira are spent every month on personnel and overhead costs for refineries that are not working. On the other hand, hardworking Nigerians are now being promised a paltry N70,000 as minimum wage.

Banditry and kidnapping must be ended to achieve food security and protect lives and property. To do so, President Tinubu should remove all bandits’ sympathisers from his government and give an ultimatum to his commanders to target and neutralise all bandits’ leaders, some of whom are now traditional rulers. Leaders of criminals are well known to the people and to the Government. It takes the will of the federal government to confront them.

Ending banditry and kidnapping would also effectively close down all IDP camps and return all campers to the farm. 

That is not all. The Federal Government should return the cost of electricity as they met it. This should be announced and effected immediately. It is noteworthy that Gencos and Discos were sold to public facilities at giveaway prices. Thus, they do not have the moral right to charge Nigerians prohibitively for their services, which, by the way, are not satisfactorily delivered.

The National Assembly can also play its own part by suspending its recess and taking a decision to end the regime of billions of Naira getting into the bank accounts of its members in the name of constituency projects and all manner of allowances. They should earn a salary equivalent to that of a senior civil servant in a Federal Ministry. 

To show their seriousness, all senators and rep members should immediately return SUVs bought for them with public funds. State commissioners are more numerous and use similar official vehicles even though they are not elected. This has been the argument of National Assembly members since 1999, but it is not valid. State commissioners have ministries under them, and you, as National leaders, are supposed to set an example for others to follow.

If this Government can do the above, and immediately too, it would have the moral authority to confront anyone who goes to the street to call for an end to bad governance. 

The constitutional conferences, restructuring, resource control, INEC, EFCC, etc., are all political and do not directly affect the common man on the street.

Professor Abdussamad Umar Jibia wrote via aujibia@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

Amidst growing concerns over economic hardship, Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande has reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to addressing the nation’s challenges. 

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Olawande acknowledged the difficulties faced by Nigerians while expressing confidence in the President’s ability to implement effective solutions.

The Minister highlighted several key achievements, including a 130% increase in the minimum wage and the passage of legislation reducing the review period for minimum wage from five to three years. 

He urged citizens to adopt a pragmatic approach and capitalize on government initiatives, cautioning against the misuse of social media to destabilize the nation.

Olawande appealed to Nigerians to collaborate with the government in addressing the country’s challenges, emphasizing President Tinubu’s dedication to the nation’s well-being. 

He stressed the importance of unity and collective effort in overcoming adversity and building a prosperous Nigeria.

The Renewed Hope Ambassadors, a group supportive of the government, launched an initiative titled “The Jagaban Will Fix It Nigeria” project.

This project aims to engage citizens through town hall meetings and capacity-building programs, promoting constructive dialogue and solutions. 

The group warned against the potential risks of protests and encouraged citizens to explore alternative avenues for driving positive change.

By Lawan Bukar Maigana

When asked about the Boko Haram bloodbath in Maiduguri between 2012 and 2014, my mind reflects on the gory scenes of manslaughter, unrest, indescribable fear, hopelessness, mourning, massive burials, decaying bodies on the streets, roadblocks, military presence, economic downturns, and many other paroxysms of agony that still traumatize me from time to time, especially when I remember the productive people and opportunities I have lost.

This is to remind our fellow youths what life would be like if the enemies within and outside succeeded in mobilizing innocent young people to collapse Nigeria under the guise of protesting against government policies they perceive as unfriendly to their well-being. If people eat once daily now and move freely in some areas within the country, chances are that some would spend days and nights hungry and unable to move freely even within their vicinities if the protest held as planned. I would never wish this for my enemies, let alone my loved ones.

In a viral video, the acclaimed leader and organizer of the planned nationwide August protest, Comr. Murtala Garba said that he had withdrawn from the planned protest after realizing that some unpatriotic power mongers and anti-peace agents were financing it at the expense of peace and unity of the nation.

He said, “Everybody knows that we are pro-North and are always ready to stand for the region’s interest. We started planning for the protest during the Ramadan period when we went to the market to shop and realized that the price of a bag of sugar had unbelievably increased. That was when we realized that the removal of subsidy by this government would predictably lead to a high cost of living, so we started criticizing it on various social media platforms across Africa. We started getting support from Nigerian diasporans, largely from America, China, and other Arab countries.”

The activist confessed that a high-profile individual from the southern part of Nigeria had invited him and fifty-two individuals to Port Harcourt for a meeting on the planned nationwide August protest.

“We spent a day in Port Harcourt and then moved to Delta State, where we spent six days. We planned for the peaceful protest to take place across the 36 states of the federation, but they started telling us that they only wanted us to do it in selected states of the North comprising Kaduna, Abuja, and Jos because they trusted us. They went on to tell us that they wanted us to block roads, adding that they would link us up. That got me thinking about those youths who are better than us in the country, yet we don’t know them.

“Honestly, they gave us money, and we collected it, returned to our region, and some of our elders started talking to us about it and succeeded in convincing us to suspend the protest, not because we are happy with the government’s policies but because of its foreseen consequences considering the forces behind it.”

Mr. Garba did not list the names of the people who invited him to Port Harcourt, perhaps out of fear of the unknown. However, he concluded by asking the government to heed the calls to reconsider the fuel subsidy removal, mentioning that some powerful Nigerians are planning to topple the government.

“They revealed the total number of police and other security forces in the Villa and promised to provide adequate manpower to support them and overwhelm the security forces. The protest is shaky and cruel to the nation. Therefore, I distance myself from it.”

Those of us from Maiduguri will never want to experience the taste of war. Some people wish for Nigeria to go to war, forgetting that no West African country can accept us as refugees if we break due to our overwhelming population that surpasses half of the entire population of West Africa.

Politics aside, I am disappointed that a former Minister called Barr. Solomon Dalung is shamelessly offering to lead the protest despite coming from a fragile state where ethno-religious crises claim lives from time to time, depriving the state of peace and unity. I am sure his declaration is insincere, exploiting the present economic hardship for political relevance in the sight of the masses.

Coming to the North, those Kano TikTok influencers are ignorant of the protest they were calling for because they seem to be unaware that Kano remains the only state in the North where people enjoy relative peace despite the power tussle going on between Emir Sanusi (enthroned) and Emir Bayero (dethroned). Businesses are going about smoothly, and farmers access their farmlands fearlessly, unlike Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, and Borno, where farmers write their wills every day before going to their farms.

Recently, a few energetic guys came to me saying people like me should lead the protest, given our influence on young people in our various states. I allowed them to land, and I asked if they knew who planned the protest, why the protest, and what it aimed to achieve. They couldn’t answer me, looking sorry and confused. Unfortunately, a lot of young people are like that. They don’t even know what they are protesting against and are used and dumped by enemies within.

Some readers may ask about the solution to the economic hardship facing Nigerians since we unapologetically condemn the planned protest and urge like-minded individuals to shun it.

In my opinion, the solution is near, as our Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries will soon start operations. This will reduce the cost of production and transportation, thereby lowering commodity prices by default. The inflation is caused mainly by transportation, which costs marketers twice the purchasing amount.

Therefore, I kindly call on the government to expedite the realization of the refinery projects and commence operations as soon as possible. This is the only realistic and achievable approach to ameliorating living standards in the country.

Lawan Bukar Maigana wrote via lawanbukarmaigana@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Zaria-Kano Highway has been reopened after two days of blockage by the protesting tanker drivers in the area.

It was reported that the drivers protested over the alleged killing of their colleague by a soldier and demanded justice for the victim’s family.

The development Wednesday had led to a gridlock that left many travellers stranded.

Daily Trust reported that the drivers used their heavy vehicles to block the road but had agreed to remove them after a series of negotiations with security agencies and FRCN officials.

Our reporters gathered that the drivers decided to protest after a soldier attached to a construction company reportedly shot the victim dead.

The State Acting Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Lawal Garba, said normalcy had returned.

“I’m happy to inform you this morning that the Zaria-Kano Highway was reopened around 9:30 am today after days of blockage. Traffic flow is smooth as the road is fully open. Personnel of the Command are in traffic control,” he said.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The Kaduna State Government has banned all forms of religious protests in the state.

The State Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, made this known on Saturday, May 14, 2022.

According to the Press Statement signed by the Commissioner, violators of the ban will be prosecuted.

“The Kaduna State Government, in consultation with security agencies under the umbrella of the Kaduna State Security Council, has placed a ban on protests related to religious activity throughout the State with immediate effect,” part of the statement reads.

Mr Aruwan argued that the ban becomes imperative owing to security reports that some unpatriotic elements want to thwart the peace of Kaduna State by organising a series of protests in support of and against a recent happening in one of the Northern Nigerian States.

The ban is coming after a protest organised in Sokoto State for the release of the alleged murderers of one Deborah Yakubu turned violent.

The terse statement further warns that the security agencies in the state will not condone any protest wearing the garb of religion.

“Security agencies have thus resolved that any attempt by individuals or groups to disrupt the peace and stability of the State, by way of religious protests, will not be condoned. Such protests will be promptly halted and conveners prosecuted.”