THE Federal Government says it is open to talks with the leaders of the planned nationwide protests slated for August 1-10.
At an emergency meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, all the federal ministers were also directed to visit their respective states between Wednesday (July 24) and Thursday August 1, when the protests are scheduled to begin.
This is as select ministers, the National Security Adviser will also meet with state governors at the 143rd session of the National Economic Council at the Council Chamber of the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Thursday (today).
This formed part of the action points from the emergency meeting between the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and all ministers in Abuja on Wednesday morning.
A circular sighted by The PUNCH on Tuesday evening showed that Special Advisers to the President on Policy and Coordination, Ms. Hadiza Bala-Usman; Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga and former Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare, were among those invited for the meeting convened to discuss the ‘Planned Nationwide Protest.’
The circular read, “I am directed to invite you to attend a meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on the above subject slated as follows:
“July 24, 2024, Time: 10 am Prompt, Venue: Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Conference Room. Attendance is mandatory. Please accept the warm regards of the Secretary to The Government of the Federation.”
The meeting came amid calls for nationwide protests from August 1-10 against the rising cost of living and the harsh conditions as Africa’s most populous country faces what has been described as its worst economic headwinds in a generation.
The protest tagged ‘EndBadGovernance’ has gained traction on social media and has been scheduled to hold across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. However, its organisers have remained largely anonymous as no group has come forward to take responsibility.
Upon assuming office 14 months ago, President Tinubu announced an end to petrol subsidies, which he said would save the government monies for infrastructural expansion. He also unified the foreign exchange rates to curb currency arbitrage.
However, these moves sparked collateral slump in the value of the Naira as food prices soared. More so, widespread insecurity in many farming communities has displaced farmers, contributing to higher food prices.
Although journalists were not granted access to the SGF Conference Room, the venue of Wednesday’s meeting, sources privy to the discussions told one of our correspondents that a planned nationwide broadcast by President Bola Tinubu was part of the issues discussed.
The source said, “All ministers were present. They suggested that there should be a national address. It was suggested that the President himself should do it. But the suggestion will have to reach the President first.
“They also asked ministers to put together three key achievements they have made in the past year. They will compile these achievements and present them to Nigerians.
“In fact, tomorrow (today), the Minister of Finance will be briefing the media on the state of the economy. But those achievements will be compiled for a separate presentation.”
Our source added, “The government stands for dialogue. They will get the leaders (of the protest) to meet with the government for discussions.
“All the ministers will also go back to their states to engage their people so they won’t be misled into joining the protests. That is between now and the protest date.
“Some have been engaging their people before. But this time, everyone has been asked to go back there.”
Another source privy to Wednesday’s meeting outcome, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, told The PUNCH that some ministers—such as those of Finance and Budget and Economic Planning— who sit on the National Economic Council, will attend its 143rd meeting on Thursday to appeal to state governors to dialogue with their constituents.
NEC, a statutory body mandated to advise the President on the nation’s economic affairs, comprises the Vice President, Governors of the 36 states of the federation, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Minister of Finance, and other stakeholders.
“There will be a NEC meeting tomorrow (today). So, they will be going there to get the buy-in of the governors. They will use NEC to get the governors’ support for the plan.
“The government is extending the dialogue to NEC to allow governors to join what it is trying to do.
“The way the government sees this protest is that it is not just a protest against hardship or Tinubu. Some people want to use it to undermine the Nigerian state and bring it down and target some class of people entirely,” said the source.
The August 1 protest comes on the heels of similar demonstrations in Kenya, from which experts say Nigerians may have drawn inspiration.
Kenyan youths staged massive protests for weeks, forcing President William Ruto’s government to backtrack on tax hikes. Organisers used social media platforms like X and Instagram to mobilise millions of young Kenyans for protests—a similar strategy deployed on Nigerian social media space.
In October 2020, Nigeria experienced massive protests nationwide when thousands of young people demonstrated against police brutality.
The protests, which were later hijacked, turned violent, with billions of naira worth of property destroyed amid bloodshed, which organisers blamed on security forces, who denied using live rounds.
Meanwhile, the minority caucus of the House of Representatives on Wednesday advised the Federal Government to interface with the intending protesters in order to find a lasting solution to the issues raised by the latter.
The caucus made the demand as part of its resolution at the end of its special meeting/dinner in Abuja on Monday night.
A statement on Wednesday by the media team of the caucus quoted the chairman, Kingsley Chinda, as saying, “We appeal to the government to dialogue with the planned protesters and also look at some of the messages they are raising, the critical areas that need government intervention.
“We are not going to encourage the protesters because in the past we observed in most cases that even peaceful protests were overtaken by hoodlums and with the insecurity in some parts of the country, you may not have the control of the gathering of people. So, some unscrupulous people may use the opportunity to create chaos.”
The group also called on the government to create means to ensure citizens were self-reliant in a bid to tackle the economic challenges in the country.
“We acknowledged in our discussion that there is hunger in the land and we appeal to the government not only to be giving palliatives but to create ways and means whereby people can be self-reliant,” Chinda added.