President Bola Tinubu has taken some proactive steps to avert the scheduled 10-day protest organised by some Nigerians scheduled to begin August 1.
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Tere has been fear that the protest may be hijacked by thugs, especially as some states, unions and youths loyal to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have pulled out of the protest.
The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has urged all groups planning to participate in the proposed nationwide protest to submit their details to the Commissioners of Police in their respective states to ensure the protest remains peaceful.
Additionally, President Tinubu has urged aggrieved Nigerians to shelve protests and has taken various steps in the last one week to ensure that the demonstrations do not hold. The measures include sale of 50kg bag of rice for N40,000: The Federal Government created centres across the country where Nigerians can purchase a bag of rice for N40,000 to ease living conditions for citizens.
There is also an approval of a monthly stipend of N50,000 for youths in the Niger Delta to alleviate current economic hardships. This was announced by Senate President Godswill Akpabio at the Niger Delta Sensitisation Conference for ethnic nationalities, youths, and women in Port Harcourt.
The president has also suspended import duties on food importation to cushion the effect of the inflationary trend in Nigeria, while also directing the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to sell crude to the Dangote refinery and other upcoming refineries in naira. This according to economic observers will force the prices of domestically refined petroleum products to crash.
Tinubu also met with governors from the All Progressives Congress, under the aegis of the Progressives Governors Forum at the Presidential Villa, Abuja and discuss the growing calls for nationwide protests against economic hardship.
The President held emergency meetings with prominent traditional rulers and Ulamas (Islamic religious scholars) at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, as part of efforts by the government to ensure the planned hunger protest, slated for August 1 to 10, is averted nationwide
