The North Central Foundation for Unity and Development Initiative (NCFOUDI) has issued a call for Nigerians to exercise restraint and cancel the planned “EndBadGovernanceProtest” scheduled for next week. This appeal was made in the interest of peace and development for the nation.
In a press statement released on Saturday, Comrade Vitalis Hwande, Director General of NCFOUDI, acknowledged the severe hardships faced by Nigerians due to inflation, soaring food prices, and other economic challenges. However, he expressed confidence that the ongoing reforms and economic policies of President Bola Tinubu would soon improve the country’s fortunes.
“We call on those intending to protest to sheathe their swords. While it is your constitutional right, this is not the right time,” Hwande said. He noted that Nigerians have endured significant suffering due to global economic recession, insecurity, and previous administrations’ policy decisions.
He emphasized that President Tinubu is diligently working through the Renewed Hope Agenda to rejuvenate the nation.
Hwande highlighted the support of the North Central Geopolitical Zone for Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Dr. George Akume, who is closely collaborating with President Tinubu. He noted the reduction in the farmers-herders crisis and the improved access to ancestral homes for farming by internally displaced persons, suggesting that the food crisis will soon be alleviated.
The statement also urged protest organizers to heed the lessons from the #EndSARS protests of 2020 and the recent protests in Kenya, which were hijacked by hoodlums, leading to significant destruction and looting. “Let’s heed the advice of security agencies, including the Defense Headquarters, DSS, and Nigeria Police, whose intelligence reports indicate that the intended peaceful protest could be hijacked by hoodlums,” Hwande warned.
He concluded by urging Nigerians to give President Tinubu more time to address the nation’s issues, stating, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s policies and reforms might be harsh now, but at the end of every tunnel, there will be light. He is barely a year in office. Let’s give him time to correct the abnormalities of yesterday so that we can achieve a country of our collective hopes and aspirations.”
