Hardship:  Reps  in last-minute move to avert protest

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

For the greater part of Wednesday, the speaker  Tajudeen Abbas, and some members of the House were engaged in marathon meetings with youth groups to dissuade them from the protest.

Abbas, while speaking at a town hall meeting with youth groups in the National Assembly, stated that the solution to the challenges confronting the country does not lie in protest.

According to him,”You have raised your voices, calling for an end to hunger, a reduction in the cost of living, an improvement in the minimum wage, and enhanced human capital development. These demands, though varied, converge on a single, powerful call for a better quality of life for all Nigerians.

“Our purpose today is not to intimidate, entice, buy off, or stifle your constitutionally enshrined powers of free expression. Rather, it is to create a formal avenue of regular engagement, ensuring that your voices are heard at the highest levels of government. My message to you today is that ‘your voice matters, and we are listening.’

“This government, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, listens, understands, and is committed to transforming Nigeria into a country that works for young people. The President has demonstrated this commitment through significant interventions.

“For instance, he approved a substantial intervention fund of N683bn for public tertiary institutions for the 2024 cycle, aimed at improving the quality of education. The establishment of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund through the Access to Higher Education Act, 2024, provides interest-free loans to students pursuing higher education and vocational training.”

Similarly, the member  representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency, Babajimi Benson said there are intelligence report about likely breakdown of law and order if the protests hold as planned.

Benson said “I like peaceful protest, Dangote protested peacefully. Did he get the result? Yes. So, if we protest peacefully, Bola Tinubu has always expressed his love for peaceful protest. He was a chief protester at some point,” he said.

“We have credible intelligence to show that some people would turn the good thing the youths want to do which is constitutional to something totally different. Some people want to do riot and loot. We have seen that happen before. “

Also, the member representing Moba/Ilejemeje/Ido Osi Federal Constituency, Ekiti State,  Kolawole Akinlayo appealed to Nigerians to be patient  with the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.

“They should please exercise patience more and see what will come after this period, because every war ends on the round table. We should not use anger and destructive tendencies to destroy our nascent democracy.”