A non-governmental group, Christian Conscience, has urged President Bola Tinubu to engage in a constructive dialogue with youths and groups planning a national protest from August 1 to avert the protest.
The group made the call in a release jointly signed by the group’s national President, Dr. Mrs Yetunde Akinluyi, and the General Secretary, Revd. Dr. Kolawole Verrals.
According to the group, allowing protests at this period when our economy is undergoing massive restructuring will be counterproductive.
The statement reads in part, “We are living witnesses to how the present government is weighing and making efforts and interventions at stabilizing the economy. We urge Nigerians to give the government more time for its various interventions and other efforts to yield positive results for the betterment of all.
“We are aware of the hardship being experienced by all Nigerians but patience and endurance need to be applied by all”
The group urged intending protesters to rethink their planned actions stating that “There should not be room for the wrong people to hijack the protest.”
It called on President Tinubu to deploy the fatherly approach and wisdom he used in negotiating the issue of minimum wage with the Labour groups a few weeks ago to avert the looming protest.
The Christian Conscience also called for caution on the impasse between the petroleum regulators and Dangote Group.
The group states, “We commend the intervention of the Minister of State for Petroleum, Hon. Heineken Lokpobiri in resolving the issue. Regulatory bodies must strike a balance between policies, initiatives, and socio-economic factors since government is about and for the people.
“The Government must protect investors both from within and outside the country so that their investments are solidified and substantiated”