Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodinma, on Wednesday, said the government is not in support of the planned nationwide protests slated for August, saying it is coming at the wrong time.
The FG has appealed to Nigerians to shelve plans of a nationwide protest as actionable steps are being put in place to alleviate the economic situation in the country.
Briefing State House correspondents on Wednesday after meeting with President Bola Tinubu, Uzodinma reiterated the stance of the government and urged Nigerians to protect the nation’s stability and avoid actions that could worsen economic hardships.
“I think it’s too early at this time in the life of this government for anybody to come out to say he wants to protest. First of all, there have not been any engagements where those who are sponsoring the protest were able to tell us the reasons for the protests,” he stated.
The governor cited the #EndSARS movement of 2020, emphasising the fragile political environment and warning about the potential for hijack by criminals.
“There is something that is the motive that is yet to be unravelled. So, I think that we are not in support of the protests. We are not going to support any protest that has no programmes, that is not discussed, that nobody knows what the problem is.
“Okay, if you are protesting, what do you want the government to do? Because the reason for protests is that they want an issue to be addressed. What are the issues?
“So, in my view, I think there is no need to overheat the polity, overheat our environment and put our people in a position where the hardship that is occasioned by economic recession all over the world is further worsened. So, I advise against the protests.”