Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has said while the government of President Tinubu acknowledges the rights of every Nigerian to engage in protests, it is equally committed to ensuring that these activities do not disrupt public order or violate the rights of others.
Idris, who stated this when he received members of the
Charismatic Bishop Conference on a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja on
Wednesday, said the government is aware that some people would want to hijack
the planned protest and unleash violence on innocent Nigerians.
“You see, the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
believes in the freedom of everyone within the confines of the law to do what
he thinks is right for him. Therefore, the President is not an opponent of
protest of any kind but the President is an opponent of violence and anything
that will negatively hamper the wellbeing of Nigerians. He believes and he has
always been saying that within the tenets of democracy, you have every right to
do whatever you want to do provided that right does not infringe on another person’s
right.
“Why everybody is very cautious and very weary of this
national protest is because we have seen what has happened around the world. We
know that it’s almost impossible to hold this protest and then have peace at
the end of the day. We cannot do that because some people are waiting to take
the laws into their own hands,” he said.
Idris said President Tinubu was fully aware of the genuine
concerns and complaints expressed by Nigerians across the nation and he is
actively working to implement effective policies aimed at alleviating the
challenges faced by the citizenry and bringing relief to all Nigerians.
The Minister said in an unprecedented move, President Tinubu
is fashioning out a policy of paying stipends to all young university and
polytechnic unemployed graduates in the country pending their formal employment
in any sector of the economy.
“But beyond that, there is also another new policy that the
President has formulated, which will begin to be seen very soon and that is
that all young men and women who have finished universities and polytechnics
and have certificates and have done their mandatory NYSC and have not been able
to get jobs, will have something from the government to keep them afloat until
the time they get jobs,” he said.
He explained that because of the President’s commitment to
the welfare of Nigerian workers, even after the Tripartite Committee on the
National Minimum Wage concluded its assignment and submitted its report, the
President sustained his engagement with the Organised Labour Unions until an
amicable resolution was reached, which gave birth to the N70,000 national
minimum wage.
Idris said the introduction of the Compressed Natural Gas
(CNG) policy by the President is a game changer in the country’s economy because
of its ability to bring down the cost of transportation by about 60% thereby
providing a viable alternative for petrol and diesel.
The Minister said henceforth, any government procurement of
vehicles or machinery, must have a component of CNG embedded in the contracts.
He also highlighted the significant improvement in the
security situation in the country, saying since the advent of the Tinubu
administration, there has been a remarkable improvement in most of the
flashpoints in the country, especially the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, which used
to be a nightmare for motorists.
In his remarks, the President General of the Charismatic
Bishop’s Conference, Archbishop Leonard Kawas, dissociated the conference from
the planned national protest, saying they had been approached by some groups to
join the protest.
“Your Excellency, recently we received some calls from some
other religious organizations and other organizations asking us to join in
preparation for a nationwide protest, which would start from 1st August 2024.
We are here to let you know that we do not think the same. That we have rather
decided to go all out and call for a truce. We have decided to sue for peace
and humbly request that our brothers and sisters who are aggrieved in one way
or the other, that they should give us some time while we continue to
communicate and negotiate with this government on areas that are pertinent to
them,” he said.
He said after the 2024 Synod, the Bishops resolved to
partner with the Federal Government in prayers and advocacy for the success of
the Tinubu Administration.
Archbishop Kawas acknowledged that the Administration had
made tremendous progress in social investment, the introduction of the Student
Loan Scheme, security, infrastructure in the FCT and across the country, and
the introduction of the N70,000 National Minimum Wage among others.
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