The National Coordinator of the Tinubu Support Organisation (TSO), Aminu Suleman, has warned of a possible hijack of the proposed nationwide protest by hoodlums and urged the youths to shelve the protest in order not to plunge the country into an unimaginable crisis.
Suleman, who was recently appointed as the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Federal College of Education in Keana, Nasarawa State, spoke at a news conference on Friday in Abuja.
He appealed to the youth and indeed all Nigerians to be patient and give President Tinubu time to fix the country, saying his achievements so far in one year in office were a clear demonstration that he meant well for the country.
He urged the organisers to rescind their decision, saying their intention might be to organise a peaceful protest, but reminded them of the ENDSARS, which was hijacked by hoodlums to cause destruction, mayhem, and outright looting of shops, among other atrocities.
He said, “We are here to appeal to our youth and indeed all Nigerians to be patient with this government. In the last year, the president has taken bold steps to tackle insecurity and poverty in the country, as well as put in place various policies to address the many challenges confronting Nigeria.
“The President has approved about N35 billion for disbursement to students via the National Student Loan Fund. This is unprecedented. The President has approved other programmes, such as the Youth Investment Fund, to directly address some of the challenges faced by young people in the country,” he said.
He added that the President has also signed the National Minimum Wage Act 2024 to put an end to agitation by workers for a new minimum over the years.
Suleman said the president has also tried to address the hardships and hunger in the country as a result of reforms in the economy, including the distribution of palliatives to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal.
“Mine is to join others to appeal to the Nigerian youth to give Mr. President some time; maybe in the next three to four months people will see changes. The protest is not necessary.
“We can see what is happening in our neighbouring countries, especially Kenya, where protests over an increase in the bread tax have snowballed into a crisis. I can tell you that people are behind the protest who want to cause a crisis in Nigeria.
“So, our youth should not allow themselves to be used. What is called peaceful protest can be hijacked, so my appeal to the young Nigerians is to support the government that is already doing much to address their pervasive challenges,” he stated.
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