Planned Protest: Traditional rulers warns against plunging nation into anarchy
Traditional rulers have called for calm over the planned nationwide protest to demonstrate against the prevailing economic hardship in Nigeria.
The protest, scheduled to begin on August 1st, 2024, has gained significant traction on social media, prompting a meeting between the traditional leaders and President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday.
“We will listen to our youths because they lead the future.
The power and the strength of Nigeria are certainly with the young people,” said the Dein of Agbor, HRM Benjamin Keagborekuzi.
He urged the youth to give the government a chance to address their concerns without resorting to destructive protests.
The Emir of Zazzau, Ahmed Bamalli, expressed concern over the protest and called for patience and wisdom.
“The message we are taking back to our people is to be calm, to exercise patience, and also to listen to the words of wisdom coming from the traditional rulers and from the governors because we have spoken to the President and he has given us the blueprint of what he has been doing over time,” he said.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, also cautioned against the potential for the protest to be hijacked by criminal elements.
“We traditional rulers are not engaged in people, especially the youth coming out to start looting to start breaking down law and order.
We are parents, we are traditional rulers, we are closer to them,” he said.
Thursday’s meeting is part of a last-minute push by the Tinubu administration to avert the planned protest.
Since the removal of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira, the cost of living has soared.
The administration has responded with measures such as a new minimum wage and the distribution of palliatives while also calling for patience.
However, many argue that these efforts have yet to effectively address the challenges.
Security agencies have warned the protest organisers to shelve the demonstration, fearing it may turn violent like the EndSARS protest of 2020.
Despite this, proponents argue that citizens have the right to protest perceived ill-treatment by the government.
