By John Shiklam in Kaduna
The Kaduna state governor, Senator Uba Sani, has urged residents of the state not to join the planned protest on hunger, economic hardship and bad governance.
Addressing stakeholders at a Town Hall meeting on Monday in Kaduna, Sani noted that, ” in the last few weeks, some faceless groups have been perfecting plans to stage nationwide protests under the guise of demanding for good governance”.
He said, their strategies and tactics gives cause for worry, stressing that “people involved in genuine struggle or agitation cannot operate like cultists – there is definitely something sinister about their plans.”
The governor however admitted that Nigerians are going through economic difficulties.
“We are grappling with severe economic strains occasioned by years of economic mismanagement, corruption and lack of accountability”, the governor said.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu has the unenviable task of cleaning up the mess left by previous administrations and resetting the economy for the good of the country and the people.
Speaking further, Sani said, “I have called this meeting to engage deeply with you and to urge you not to join the planned protest in the interest of our stability and progress.
“As government, we are not leaving things to chance.
“In a bid to complement existing efforts towards cushioning any untoward impact of the proposed protest, I have since directed the Overseer of the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs to work closely with the heads of security agencies on a constant review of the security situation, and to report to me for prompt and relevant action.”
He said the President has demonstrated courage in carrying out his operation on the economy adding that steady progress is being made.
Sani called for support for the President “in his patriotic efforts at revitalising the economy and putting smiles back on the faces of Nigerians.”
The governor said his administration in Kaduna state has committed itself to rebuilding trust, securing the state and provision of infrastructure.
Sani said Kaduna had experienced bloody crisis which started as protest.
“We know the antecedents of notable ‘protests’ and where they left us in the past.
“Practically every notable upheaval we have experienced in this state in the last 25 years began as a protest.”
He recalled that, “On Monday 21 February 2000, what began as a protest in Kaduna State, led to over 5000 deaths in about 48 hours.
“Similarly, in 2011, what began as a free and open protest over presidential election results spilled over into an avalanche of bloodshed.
“The EndSARS protest of four years ago, is very fresh in our memories. This too, was wickedly hijacked, and twisted into a festival of looting and destruction, with loss of life and limb in many parts of Kaduna State.
“Going further back, the carnage that erupted in Kaduna in 1987 and 1992, began with people trying to come out to express themselves and to protest certain issues.
“Recent history has given us enough evidence. We are aware that there are dark sections of our society that are too happy to seize on the honest disaffections of well-meaning Nigerians.
“These elements actually have no concern for good governance or improving the plight of citizens. “They are driven purely by their
own hate and selfishness, and they have no qualms whatsoever with messing up our collective reality. “How then can we casually welcome what we know to be a trigger of violence, death and destruction in our midst?
“In our current context as a state, we are grappling with security challenges of banditry, insurgency and kidnapping.
“We are wide awake to the enduring effects of insecurity on socio-economic life of our citizens; threats to food security, education, healthcare delivery, threats to civic freedom and social cohesion, and especially the threat to our rural economy.
“We are confronted with the movement of small arms and light weapons between our sister frontline states affected by banditry, which gives momentum to the activities of bandits and insurgents. “These arms are also waiting to be eagerly deployed by agents of destruction as soon as a protest goes astray.
“The reckless use of our freedom, to happily ignite what is obviously a sitting gunpowder keg is an ill-advised course of action at this point in our statehood.”
He maintained that the peace and stability of Kaduna is fundamental, pointing out that the current times demand demand deep retrospection, sound reasoning, high sense of patriotism, and sacrificing for the collective good.”
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