By Chesa Chesa
President Bola Tinubu has pleaded with Nigerians planning a nationwide protest planned for next week to shelve the plan, as he is unfolding policies and programmes to cushion the effects of prevailing economic challenges.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed the president’s appeal to newsmen on Tuesday after he emerged from a meeting with Tinubu in his office at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said: “We discussed the issue of the country generaly and Mr President has asked me to, again, inform Nigerians that he listens to them, especially the young people that are trying to protest.
“Mr President said he listens to them and he takes what they say seriously, and he is working assiduously to ensure that this country is good not just for today but also for the future.
“The issue of the planned protest, Mr President does not see any need for that. He asked them to shelve that plan and he has asked them to await government’s response to all their pleas, he has listened to them like I said.”
Arguing that the planned protest is unnecessary, idris noted that so much was being done by government already to assuage the current hardship in the country.
He cited the expeditious passage of the National Minimum Wage Bill by the National Assembly which was transmitted to the lawmakers only on Monday, saying that the President is working.
“A lot is happening. Only today the NASS has expediously passed the bill on National minimum wage. You can see how the President is working. It was transmitted only yesterday, today it has been passed; a lot of other interventions that the President has also put in place are also going to be looked at expediously in the interest of Nigerians so there is no need for the protest.
“The young people out there should listen to the President and allow the President more time to see to the realization of all the goodies he has for them,” the Minister said.
Idris highlighted of other interventions by the President, including the approved distribution of rice and grains thought the state governments, and the recently launched student loan scheme.
According to him: “You saw that the FG approved grains and rice for state govts, it was delivered to them expediously, also the FG. like I said that it is just the necessary first step, government is going to continue in that direction supporting them and ensuring that whatever interventions the FG has put in place go to those that should benefit, it is very important that is being put out.
“The FG is looking at strategies that every intervention would go directly to to those who benefit from those interventions not middle men intervcening along the way.
“You heard about the student loan board launched by Mr President, Mr President is very passionate about that, ensuring that everyone that should go to work will have the opportunity to go to school. It is no longer a time for all of us to stay back and see our young able body men and women have passed the examinations to go to tertiary institutions that have not been able to do that because there parent are not able to pay for their fees, this is a thing of the past.
“Government is very very desirous to ensure that happens ,you know that the provision that was made to the NELFUND already we have in excess what is required today and the more that people are requiring that the more the President will also give.”
