Protest: Lagos can’t afford repeat of EndSARS pains – APC chieftain

A Lagos APC Chieftain, Mr Taofeek Adaranijo, on Saturday urged Nigerian youths to reconsider the proposed nationwide protest to avoid its hijack by hoodlums to cause violence.

The  APC chieftain said that Lagos could not afford to an experience similar to 2020 EndSARS  protest hijacked by hoodlums to cause destructions.

Adaranijo, also the Commissioner, Local Government Service Commission, Lagos State, urged the protest organisers to allow the Federal Government’s economic policies to materialise.

The former member of the House of Representatives (Agege Federal Constituency) made the appeal while addressing a group of youths in his office in Ikeja.

 

The former Chairman of Orile Agege Local Council Development Area acknowledged that citizens had the right to protest against policies they were dissatisfied with, but said  that the planned protest was premature.

 

“We all know that there is hardship in the land, even President Bola Tinubu is aware of this and has said it on various occasions.

 

“Yet the President has not folded his arms since he assumed office, he has been rolling out palliatives to ameliorate the suffering while implementing various policies.

 

“More allocations have been given to state governments, and now local governments will be more buoyant as a result of the local government autonomy,” he said.

 

The politician said that the N70,000 minimum wage approval, the CNG bus initiative and other interventions  were part of efforts to cushion the effects of the petrol subsidy removal.

 

“It is just a matter of a short time, everything will be fine,” he said.

 

Expressing fear about the outcome of the protest in view of the sad experience of the 2020 EndSARS protest, Adaranijo said that the country was too volatile to embark on any protest.

 

“As good as the protest is, to tell the government of the hardship in the country, you can’t predict the outcome.

 

“EndSARS protest paved the way for arson in Lagos and other parts of the country.

 

“We have had protests in the past that were peaceful but the EndSARS protest outcome taught us a lot of lessons.

 

“Peaceful protest was hijacked by those with hidden agenda and hoodlums, and it resulted in arson in various areas in the state,” he said.

 

Recounting some of the havocs of the EndSARS protest, Adaranijo said that  police stations, public buses and courts were vandalised and  burnt.

 

The former lawmaker urged the organisers of the protest to give the government time to improve economy.

 

He appealed to the youth to avoid the  protest.

 

“Don’t allow a repeat of EndSARS arson in Lagos and other parts of the country.

 

“Leaders in various capacities should persuade people under their care to give the government a little time to make things work.

 

“Violence will take us steps backward,” Adaranijo said.

 

He called for more support and prayers for the government to improve the economy.

 

Adaranijo said, “Let us have hope and trust his leadership, and Nigeria shall rise again.”

 

There have been reports that some Nigerians are planning a nationwide protest from Aug. 1 to Aug. 10, over economic hardship.

.Don’t attack any protesters – Lagos CP tells residents

The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr Adegoke Fayoade, has advised  residents of the state against attacking protesters.

Fayoade gave the advice while addressing traditional rulers and community leaders in Eti-Osa, Ibeju-Lekki, Epe and Lagos Island local government areas during a town hall meeting on Saturday.

 

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there have been reports of a planned nationwide protest by some Nigerians over  hardship in the country.

The protest is planned to begin from Aug. 1 and end on Aug. 10.

Fayoade said that although police and other security agencies had met and declared that there should not be any protest in Lagos State, the residents should not attack any group or groups that might  come out to protest.

 

The commissioner of police said that attacking them would mean taking laws  into one’s hands.

“If there must be protest, it must be peaceful. We want to know those who want to protest so that we can make arrangements for their security.

“It is your right to protest legitimately as long  as it does not affect the rights of others.

“Any group planning a violent protest should rethink. Such a group will meet police and other security agencies. We don’t want a repeat of the #EndSARS.

“The duty of  residents is to give the police timely information about any group planning a violent protest, it is not for them  to attack them,” he said.

The traditional ruler of Ijora/Apapa, Oba Abdulfatai Aromire, appealed to his subjects not  to join in the planned protest.

All the traditional rulers and community leaders said that there should not be any protest in Lagos State.

They commended the Commander of Area J Police Command, Mrs Yemisi Ojo, for efforts in tackling  crime in the area.

They also praised the commissioner of police  for neutralising  nine kidnappers in Mushin, recently.

They urged the police boss to check  activities of land grabbers in their areas.

 

.Shun planned nationwide protest—Zamfara forum urges members

The Zamfara Indigenes Enlightenment Forum (ZIEF), has cautioned its members to shun the planned nationwide protest against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The forum’s spokesperson, Alhaji Malam Tanimu, made the call at a press briefing in Gusau on Saturday.

He said that the forum was a non-profit organisation dedicated to addressing socio-cultural, economics and political issues in Zamfara.

According to him, it draws its membership from the academia, professional bodies, youths organisations, students’ unions and civil society organisations, among others.

Tanimu said, “Recently, some Nigerians have been advocating for peaceful protests as a means of expressing dissatisfaction with government economic policies such as the removal of petroleum subsidy,  increase in electricity tariffs, and interest rate, among others.”

He further said that the forum admitted the high cost of living has caused untold hardship to Nigerian

“After exhaustive deliberations and consultations on the planned nationwide protest with various stakeholders, we decided to withdraw from it in the overall interest of Zamfara and Nigeria as a whole,” he explained.

Tanimu said that Section 40 of Nigeria’s constitution (1999, as amended), provides, “every person shall be entitled to free assembly, associate with other persons, and protest peacefully.”

“The forum has observed that the absence of well-defined goals can lead to confusion and disorganization among the protesters.

”This lack of coordination can cause logistical problems, such as difficulties in planning routes, managing crowds, and ensuring safety of both the protesters and the general public.

“When objectives of the protest are not well defined, there is a greater chance that the protest may devolve into violence.

“Protesters may act on their own agendas or frustrations, leading to unpredictable and potentially dangerous situations, such as looting, destruction of public and private properties.”

He further said that the forum remained committed to advocating positive change and social justice, adding,  ”but we believe that these goals must be pursued through well-organised, peaceful and structured means