Dialogue with organizers of planned nationwide protest, Group urge Tinubu

The president, Bola Tinubu, and vice president, Senator Kashim Shettima, have been urged by the African Network for Peace, Progress and Development (ANPPPD) to set up a meeting with the organizers of the impending statewide demonstration against the country’s woes.

In a statement released on Monday in Abuja and signed by Prince Elias Odoemena, the President of ANPPD, the group also suggested that “the protest organizers should use the opportunity to discuss how to resolve food crisis in the country as well as reduce petroleum pump price and electricity bills” at the planned meeting.

He admitted that there was suffering among Nigerians and added that the protest’s continuation would only make matters worse.

He, however, advocated that dialoguing with the organisers of the protest would nip it in the bud.

Prince Odoemena said “Nigerian students have suffered a lot as the result of prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and any protest now would affect their studies.”

ANPPD also underscored the need to be mindful of hoodlums who might hijack the protest if the organisers go ahead to hold it.

Prince Odoemena also said that the recent Supreme Court judgment which granted financial autonomy to the local government areas by separating their accounts from that of the states would go a long way in the development and progress of local communities in Nigeria.

According to him, “some state governors who take local government monies as pocket money to be spent any how are not happy with the judgement.”

He said the Chairmen of of various local governments would now know that it was no longer business as usual but time to think on how to add to the development of the local governments they are in charge.

While commending President Tinubu on the bold step to remove the local government administration from the control of governors, Odoemena said it is only a courageous leader that can separate local government account from that of the state, adding, “previous presidents could not do it because of powerful position of the state governors.”