A human rights activist, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to stop becoming jittery over peaceful protest slated to commence by 1st of August,2024, saying peaceful protest is part of ingredients of democracy.
The rights activist also urged Tinubu to enjoin the Inspector General of Police, Dr. Kayode Egbetokun to ensure the adequate protection for the protesters and not allow hoodlums to hijack the protest.
Sulaiman, who is Executive Chairman of the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice ( CHRSJ), disclosed that Nigerans have been made to face untold hardship since removal of fuel subsidy, maintaining that the issue of palliative was an afterthought which has not had any reasonable effect on the life of the common people.
He added that state governors, who have become major beneficiaries of the removal of fuel subsidy with humongous monthly allocations, were not helping President Tinubu in cushioning the effect of fuel subsidy removal. He said it was time Nigerians face their governors in their various states to ask them what they have done with the allocation released to them in the last one year.
Reacting to the appeal made by the President Tinubu to the organizers of the nationwide protest,Sulaiman said Tinubu should be manly enough not to become jittery as a true democrat who has been regarded as the father of protesters in Nigeria.
Sulaiman, who doubles as Convener of the Save Lagos Group ( SLG), explained that protest was a fundamental rights of every citizen in a democratic society like Nigeria,
” Since emergency of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president of the country, the volume of the hardship on the lives of the people have been increased geometrically, which makes life unbearable for the Nigeria masses.
“The only solution to the current economic problem is to reduce the price of petroleum by making the Dangote Refinery commence operation without any hindrance and also make our refineries work. Every Nigerian know that the Chairman of the Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote is part of the problems facing the economy of the country by monopolizing the production of goods and servics in the land that hindered our economic growth as s country.
“But God wanted to use him to reduce the pains and pangs of Nigeria masses in the area of fuel price reduction.”
Sulaiman, therefore, thanked those organizing the August 1st nationwide protest.
