RENOWNED Sudanese cleric, Ambassador Al-Mustapha Bala Assudany, has cautioned Nigerians, particularly youths, against embarking on protest over economic hardship, saying nothing positive will come out of it.
Worried by the economic hardship amid rising inflation, some Nigerians fixed August 1 – August 10 for nationwide protest.
The government, religious leaders, traditional rulers, among others have appealed to young persons to have a rethink on the protest, but they have insisted to go ahead.
Weighing in on the situation during the pre-huduba sermon at the famous Sultan Bello Mosque, Kaduna, the cleric cautioned the youths not to give room to enemies of the country to destroy Nigeria.
He took about 20 minutes sharing his experience as a Sudanese citizen about what happened before and after the protest that led to war in the country.
According to him, enemies of Nigeria are indirectly instigating innocent youths to embark on the protest just as they did to Sudanese, leading to civil war.
He said Nigerians need to learn from Sudan’s experience to avoid bloodshed or any action that could lead to the destruction of peace.
He listed Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan as countries which suffered destruction from what started as peaceful protests.
Ambassador Assudany said presently 2 out of the 3 percent of Sudan’s population have abandoned their houses and fled the city center, while some fled to other countries due to war.
“Before they started talking about the planned protest in Nigeria, it happened in some Muslim countries like Syria, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, and Sudan. I’m a Sudanese citizen and what happened in Sudan was the same thing that happened in other Muslim countries.”
“When I heard about the planned protest in Nigeria, I felt as a Muslim I should share the experience of what I saw in Sudan and what happened in other Muslim countries. Economic hardship was responsible for all the protests witnessed in those countries. That was what led people to protest in Sudan, thinking a solution would come through protest.
“Those that started were Sudanese citizens in an attempt to draw the attention of the government to end their hardship. But the opposition groups that were against the government penetrated them because every government has opposition. This was what led to the chaos in the country.
“Some foreign countries also took advantage of the protest and came into the country. They were the ones sponsoring these youths and supporting them. This led to regime change in the country but despite that there was no peace in the country.
“Many people thought after the regime changed there would be peace in the country but it turned out to cause more chaos across the country. As we speak, Khartoum, which is the capital of Sudan, has been completely destroyed and the residents fled.
“The war spread to other parts of the country. There was crisis everywhere, people being killed in villages, women raped, kidnapped, and sold as slaves in foreign lands. This is why I’m calling on Nigerians, especially the youth, not to allow themselves to be used by the enemies of the country to destroy their country. This is because nothing good will come out of the protest but destruction.
“This is because Nigeria has bigger challenges compared to us in Sudan because in Sudan majority of the citizens are Muslims and yet are killing themselves, what about Nigeria with tribal, religious, and ethnic differences? What do you think will happen if after the regime change? Do you think there will be somebody that can caution the youths against future protest?”
He further prayed for peace and harmony in Nigeria, with a call on the leadership to do the needful to end the economic hardship in the country.