The Coalition of Civil Society Groups for National Stability and Cohesion on Monday appealed to Nigerians aggrieved over the current hardship in the country to be patient with the administration of President Bola Tinubu as it finds solutions to the challenging times.
Speaking at a joint news conference in Abuja, the Convener, Rising Up for United Nigeria, Comrade Solomon Adodo, said that with a little more patience, the people would smile.
The group expressed concern that the planned #End Bad Governance” protests could lead to anarchy, urging well-meaning Nigerians to support the administration in its quest to build a stable and united country.
According to the coalition, those behind the protests are faceless and have the intention of destabilising Nigeria.
It stated, “We must resist any attempt at throwing our country into turbulence or chaos. It will all look very idealistic and colourful on the surface, but the outcome is always dire, unsavoury and highly regrettable.”
It acknowledged that though Tinubu’s decision to remove subsidy on fuel brought pain to the people, the coalition assured that the President was working hard to cushion the effects of the hardship.
The coalition spoke more: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a listening leader; time and time again, he has reversed himself based on public opinion.
“He did so with the appointment of the Board of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), governing councils of tertiary institutions, cybercrime protection levy, etc.
“Therefore, we must avoid the destructive protests being proposed by persons we do not know, do not understand their personal or group grievances, cannot reach out to for discussions and do not appreciate their end game.
“It will be unreasonable for anyone to pretend that there are no issues. Mr. President himself has repeatedly acknowledged these issues and has been proactive in addressing them.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved centres for the conversion of petrol and diesel-powered vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) at no cost to the vehicle owners under the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (P-CNGi). The NNPC has assured that the refineries will soon commence optimal performance.
“Furthermore, Mr President has established the Ministry of Livestock Development to tackle the perennial farmers and herders clashes that have hindered massive food production and animal husbandry.
“The government of Tinubu has just approved a minimum wage for workers in view of the realities of the times, with a promise to review after three years.
“The wage award is being paid to cushion the effect of the hardship. Fertiliser and other farm inputs are deliberately being distributed by the government to encourage farming. This is in addition to the massive distribution of grains across the country.
“Security agencies are aggressively clamping down on the bandits that terrorised communities and prevented farming activities.
“The student loan scheme is an initiative to help students pay their tuition without challenge. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a listening leader.
“Mr President deserves our support at this critical time. We must stand by him while offering fair and constructive criticisms where necessary.
“It is not enough to lend ourselves to the grand designs of those whose interests are to destabilise and set the country ablaze. We must be watchful and protect our democracy and country. Consequently, we must all reject the protest as proposed.
“As an alternative, we should hold national rallies to support the government and peacefully make specific demands on issues and areas in which we demand action from the government.
“We have also opened up channels to further aggregate the innovative ideas of young and middle-aged citizens as we work with Mr President to drive our country to greater heights.”
The group advised security agencies to be on red alert, just as the members appealed to political, religious, and opinion leaders to prevail on their subjects not to participate in the protest.
Members of the coalition drawn from across the country include Danesi Momoh for Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative; Igwe Ude-umanta for Guardians of Democracy and Development; and Zainab Sule for Citizens Support for Transparency and Good Governance.
Also on the list are Godwin Oluoha, Governance Economy and Development Monitoring Initiative; Abdulquadri Shuaibu, Nigerian Youth Advocacy for Good Governance; Jonathan Elaigwu, Citizens United for Development Initiative; Angela Bala, Rural Empowerment and Development Initiative; Steve Eriba, Independent Public Service Watch; Suleiman Musa, Civil Society Groups for Accountability and Probity; Sani Madaki, Northern Youth Congress of Nigeria; and Patience Abimaje, Youth Initiative Skills Training and Leadership Development, among others.
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