1 month ago
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The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris has said that the government of President Bola Tinubu acknowledges the rights of every Nigerian to engage in protest.
He, however, stated that the government is equally committed to ensuring that the activities do not disrupt public order or violate the rights of others.
The minister said the government is cautious about the planned protest because they are aware that it would not end well.
Idris stated this when he received members of the Charismatic Bishop Conference on a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja on Wednesday.
He claimed that certain people are planning on hijacking the planned protest and unleashing violence on innocent Nigerians.
He said, “You see, the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu believes in the freedom of everyone within the confines of the law to do what he thinks is right for him.
“Therefore, the President is not an opponent of protest of any kind but the President is an opponent of violence and anything that will negatively hamper the wellbeing of Nigerians. He believes and he has always been saying that within the tenets of democracy, you have every right to do whatever you want to do provided that right does not infringe on another person’s right.
“Why everybody is very cautious and very weary of this national protest is because we have seen what has happened around the world. We know that it’s almost impossible to hold this protest and then have peace at the end of the day. We cannot do that because some people are waiting to take the laws into their own hands.”
Idris said President Tinubu was fully aware of the genuine concerns and complaints expressed by Nigerians across the nation and he is actively working to implement effective policies aimed at alleviating the challenges faced by the citizenry and bringing relief to all Nigerians.
The Minister said in an unprecedented move, President Tinubu is fashioning out a policy of paying stipends to all young university and polytechnic unemployed graduates in the country pending their formal employment in any sector of the economy.
“But beyond that, there is also another new policy that the President has formulated, which will begin to be seen very soon and that is that all young men and women who have finished universities and polytechnics and have certificates and have done their mandatory NYSC and have not been able to get jobs, will have something from the government to keep them afloat until the time they get jobs,” he added.
