Planned Protest: Tinubu, Sultan, Ooni, NSA, IGP Hold Emergency Meeting
In response to the escalating economic hardship and the growing momentum of the planned nationwide protest, President Bola Tinubu convened an emergency closed-door meeting on Thursday. This high-level meeting took place at the State House in Abuja and included prominent traditional rulers, top security officials, and governors from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The APC governors, led by Hope Uzodinma, Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo State, were in attendance. Among the notable traditional rulers present were the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, and the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Saad Abubakar III, along with other traditional leaders from across the nation.
Key security figures, including National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, also participated, alongside ministers and other members of the President’s cabinet. Additionally, a delegation of Islamic scholars (Ulamas) later joined the meeting.
Efforts to Avert the Protest
President Tinubu, who assumed office in May 2023, has been appealing to the youth to reconsider the planned ‘EndBadGovernance’ protest. In a bid to address the economic grievances, he sent a bill to the National Assembly to raise the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000. The bill was swiftly passed by both legislative chambers on Tuesday and is awaiting the President’s signature.
Military authorities have issued warnings about potential plans by unscrupulous elements to hijack the protest and incite anarchy, similar to recent events in Kenya. The police have also cautioned against violent demonstrations, with Uzodinma highlighting the risk of the protest turning violent, akin to the EndSARS protests against police brutality in October 2020.
The protest, scheduled to take place across all states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in August, is driven by the skyrocketing prices of food and basic commodities. This economic crisis has been exacerbated by the government’s removal of petrol subsidies and the unification of forex windows, leading to one of the worst inflation rates in Nigeria’s history. Despite the growing support for the protest on social media, the organizers remain anonymous.
