The Presidency has said Nigerians have the constitutional right to peaceful protest and no one can deny them this.
The declaration came on a day of pro-government protests, organised by statement chairmen of All Progressives Congress (APC) rocked state capitals across the country and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The Federal Government is also said to be taking steps to placate youths in the country to stave off the protest slated for Thursday, August 1, billed to last for 10 days.
However, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, yesterday summoned the legal adviser to the organisers of the protest, Mr Ebun Olu-Olu-Adegboruwa, SAN, to a meeting at Force Headquarters in Abuja today over the August 1, nationwide protest.
The declaration came against the backdrop of calls across the country that the protest against hardship in the land should not hold for fear of its being hijacked by violent people.
This came as no fewer than 36 civil society organisations in the country also reaffirmed the fundamental rights of citizens to peaceful protest as a fundamental pillar of democratic governance.
Ahead of the protest, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, yesterday directed all universities to make arrangements for the security and safety of staff, students and property.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, who stated the Presidency’s position in an interview on TVC late Sunday night, said no one has the right to stop peaceful protest in the country, adding that it is the power of protest that brought the return of democracy to Nigeria.
He said: “There is nobody within our administration that has the standing, the command, or the gravitas to tell Nigerians that they cannot peacefully protest and that they cannot peacefully protest in any part of the country.
“We are not in office to dominate our people, we are in office to serve our people. And this is the position of the president.
“President Bola Tinubu has been very clear that the notion of peaceful protest is a central component of an effective function in democracy.
“Anyone who disagrees with the notion from inside the government, the notion that we are here to serve our people and not dominate them, they are lining up themselves against the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who will defend the right of Nigerians to peaceful protest in any part of the country. And we want to be very unequivocal about that.”
Ngelale noted that there were legitimate concerns that the protest might turn violent but stressed that was not enough to stop a peaceful protest.
On fears that the protest might turn the way for the #EndSARS protest which result in the massive destruction of property, especially in Lagos, he said it was unfortunate that the great majority of the people suffered the actions of a few, noting that the people were also deprived of benefits of infrastructure destroyed during the protest.
He said the government would ensure those out to hijack the protest do not succeed.
Nigeria bids to placate youth to avert looming inflation protests.
Also, days before the protest, the Federal Government, according to Reuters, is offering young people jobs in the state oil company and billions of naira worth of grants among other incentives to discourage the action.
Nigerian activists have been looking to emulate youth-led protests elsewhere in Africa which have rocked the government in Kenya and prompted a tough security response in Uganda.
Nigeria’s state oil firm, which seven years ago warned job seekers against falling prey to fraudulent messages about job placements in the company, published on Friday nationwide job vacancies in a post on X for the first time in nearly a decade.
An NNPC Ltd spokesperson said a flood of applications crashed the company’s website.
Nigeria’s ministry of Youth Development on Friday, also relaunched a N110 billion ($70 million) youth investment fund that was started in 2020, aimed at providing grants to Nigeria’s youth to generate jobs.
The youth ministry had said in May said it would revive the programme but little had been heard about it until Friday.
Nigerians are organising online nationwide protests this week in response to a cost of living crisis that has seen inflation rise to a 28-year-high of 34.2 per cent which followed President Bola Tinubu’s removal of fuel subsidies and a currency devaluation.
