Following the looming nationwide hunger protests being planned by some groups and individuals,
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday held emergency meetings with prominent traditional rulers and Ulamas (Islamic religious scholars) and the All Progressives Party (APC) governors at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja as part of frantic efforts by the government to avert the protests scheduled for August 1 – 10.
D’Gallery gathered that the protests are being organised under the hashtag ‘EndBadGovernance,’ but the organisers remain unknown and no group has officially declared the intention.
President Tinubu first met with the APC governors by 1.00 pm, under the platform of the Progressives Governors Forum. The meeting lasted for about an hour and 15 minutes.
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Ministers of Finance and Budget and Economic Planning, Wale Edun and Abubakar Bagudu, respectively were also at the emergency meeting.
The meeting with the traditional rulers started at about 2:30pm, when Tinubu arrived at the Council Chamber in the Villa.
The meeting ended at 400pm.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, led the royal fathers.
The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, Ribadu and Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun were also in attendance.
Governor Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman of Kwara State, who also doubles as the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum and Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, who chairs the Progressives Governors Forum, were part of the meeting. Edun and Bagudu also joined the President at the meeting.
Afterwards, the President held another meeting with the Ulamas, which ended after 600pm.
After the meeting on Thursday, the traditional rulers urged the organisers of the protests to seek dialogue with the Federal Government, warning against the chances of the protests being hijacked by hoodlums.
“The President has said, ‘any leader that you don’t like, wait (until 2027) and vote him out.’ He is open to dialogue. We know that Nigeria faces many challenges. But are we going to destroy our nation by ourselves? Is that what we are all after?
“It is very difficult to build, but it is the easiest to destroy. We are all stakeholders in this country and are stronger as a nation than individually,” the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, told newsmen after an expanded cabinet meeting at the State House, Abuja.
“We should talk to ourselves. We need to know that today; it’s a completely different spin. The government, ably led by the President, is willing to engage and dialogue and bring governance very close to the people,” he added.
“People that are out there to protest, it is their civic right. But let them put a face to it and don’t let it be hijacked by people that have ulterior motives. That is our stand.
“We the traditional rulers are not in support of people, especially youths, coming out to loot and break down law and order. We condemn such acts fully. We are parents, we are traditional rulers, and we are closer to them (youths). We are going to go back home and continue to engage them.”
“Stewardship from the Federal Executive Council, directly to the traditional rulers? It has never happened in our nation before. Never! This is the first time we’re all experiencing it,” the monarch added.
“Today (Thursday) is the very first time we will be addressed properly by the Federal Executive Council in terms of the plans of government, their achievements so far and where they’re having challenges. So, there is a proper bridge between the governed and the people in charge of government.
“For the very first time, the traditional rulers were properly engaged. This was long-awaited. We are closer to our people and can bring that feedback back home. So, it’s a beautiful take home for us because we don’t lock our palaces; we are more exposed to the people we rule over.”
The Emir of Zazzau Bamalli said traditional rulers were worried about the protests.
“There’s nobody who will not be worried about the protests; we’ve seen what has happened in other climes, where governments had been brought down.
“As an ex-diplomat, I have seen what happened in other climes and that is why I am in the position to say what happened in other places.”
The Emir added that insecurity in the north remained the bane of Nigeria’s food crisis.
Bamalli urged the FG to address the security issues, noting:
“We have made it very clear to him (President Tinubu) that the main problem in this country, especially the north, is insecurity. If the security situation is addressed, certainly people will go back to their farms and the issue of hunger will drastically reduce and disappear.”
He called on Nigerians to “exercise patience and listen to the words of wisdom from the elders.
“We are very optimistic that Nigeria will bounce back to its former position as the leading country in Africa.”
The Dein of Agbor Kingdom, Ikenchukwu Keagborokuzi I, appealed to Nigerian youths to be patient with and work with the FG through any possible opportunity.
While describing Nigerian youths as the nation’s strength, he noted that the #EndBadGovernance protests would not solve the nation’s problems.
“Hearing from Mr. President directly, the take-home message for me is that I can see the passion. But at the same time, I think the government finally understands we are at the precipice,” he said.
“We will listen to our youths because they lead the future. The power and strength of Nigeria certainly lie with the young people. We feel your pains. I’m a young person myself.
“It’s been 24 years since I’ve started seeing the nation going in a very unpalatable direction. I know that this protest is very tight in our neck, but let us not destroy our own country,” he said.
He cited the aftermath of the Arab Spring in Libya, urging Nigerian youths to reconsider the planned protests and shun the move.
“Think of Libya. Libya was a beautiful country; what has happened to Libya, we don’t want it to happen here.
“Let’s go home. Let’s continue to strive to be the best that we can and continue to work with the government to see if we can offer some solutions.
“I think that, that would be best rather than to destroy property or injure ourselves,” he advised
