A Chieftain of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has told the government to face its jobs squarely and stop disturbing itself with an imaginary nationwide protest, saying “no one is planning any protest.”
Olayinka, a PDP House of Representatives candidate in the last year general elections, who said in a statement on Friday, that “protests are not planned and held by giving one month notice,” added that “it is either government is distracting itself on top nothing or the noise about the protest is being used to distract Nigerians.”
He described peaceful protest as a fundamental rights of all Nigerians, noting that “President Bola Tinubu, who himself is a product of political protests will not prevent Nigerians from exercising their rights to complain to government, using the instrument of peaceful protest.”
Olayinka said; “Protests are spontaneous reaction to issues, not what is planned for months. The one in Kenya was a spontaneous reaction to the passage of bill to impose more taxes on the people. It did not start months after the bill had been passed, it started immediately.
“Therefore, government and its agencies should stop promoting and advertising an imaginary protest that I am not sure anyone is planning. Or how many Nigerians were aware of any protest before government started speaking about it?
“It thus appears to me that the government seems to be promoting a non-existent or an imaginary protest. The government yes, must take responsibility for the state of the state, more particularly our sick economy but all Nigerians are culpable and we must all work together to rescue the country.”
While lamenting that noise on the protest has become a kind of money making venture, Olayinka said; “After August 2, government will stop bothering itself about an imaginary protest.
“By then too, those using protest that no one is planning to cash out must have cashed out enough and they will allow Nigerians to have peace.”
He said it was funny the security agencies who could not protect Nigerians against terrorists, bandits and kidnappers are now very active, issuing press statements upon press statements.
“All the noise from security agencies is just targeted at being ‘mobilized’. They know that there won’t be any protest. Or aren’t we being told now that over 4,000 Policemen will be deployed in Abuja alone?”
Olayinka urged the government to continue to engage the people and do more to live by example, instead of dishing out warnings and blaming opposition elements.
He said; “Truth is the problems of Nigeria are so many and overwhelming to be solved overnight by any government. However, the public will have more trust in the government when they see that people in government are also making sacrifices.
“While the public’s right to protest is helpful to whip government to line, we must remember it will also be meaningful if we work and act within ambits of the law otherwise it will be counter productive and cost us further set back.”
