By Chesa Chesa
With a call on aggrieved Nigerians to shelve their planned nationwide hunger protests slated to begin August 1st, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has assured them that President Bola Tinubu is already “protesting” on their behalf, with the relief palliatives being unfolded recently.
He spoke Monday when he addressed State House correspondents on on the outcome of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Emphasising that many of the protesters’ demands were already being tackled, Idris noted that the government had launched several initiatives aimed at alleviating the economic hardships facing Nigerians.
He said: “The position of the FEC is that most of the demands that the protesters are making are actually being addressed by the federal government.
“And, therefore, it is the view of the government that there is really no need for the protests again because most of those things that the protesters are putting forward have already actually been addressed or are being addressed by government and like we have said repeatedly, this is a listening government.
“The President has listened to be voices of all those who are planning this protest. And the message is that there is no need for it.
“Indeed, the President is already protesting on their behalf by doing those things that they want a government to do. For example, the effort that government is making, in ensuring that food is being made available.”
The Minister listed some key measures the administration has taken to include; distribution of subsidised rice at N40,000 per bag, a 50% discount from market prices; allocation of 20 trucks to each state for food distribution to the most vulnerable.
Others include; commencement of student loan disbursements, with provisions for over two million students, plans to employ about three million youth through the MTT program and introduction of CNG vehicles to potentially reduce transportation costs by 60%.
Idris acknowledged that while the efforts may not be sufficient to address all concerns immediately, they represented “necessary first steps” in the government’s broader economic strategy.
