Aderibigbe calls for dialogue with government, not protest
A legal Luminary and APC Stalwart, Barrister Debo Aderibigbe, has urged Nigerians, especially Youths to shelve the proposed Nationwide protest, saying previous experiences had not been palatable.
Barrister Aderibigbe on behalf of Barrister Adebayo Reps Project and Kwara Advancement Forum gave the charge in a statement issued on Sunday, advising Nigerians to give President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration more time to address the burning issues that led to hike in prices of food items and cost of living.
The Legal Luminary noted that although the Nation’s Constitution guarantees the fundamental right to peaceful protest, he stated that from past experiences, protests of such are usually hijacked, which have often led to negative consequences.
He pointed out that “although peaceful protest is a civil right exerciseable by law-abiding citizens of every Nation as entrenched in the Constitution and United Nations Convention on Human Rights but going by experience and precedents, protests that have hitherto being planned as lawful and peaceful becomes hijacked by non-organizers that turn the protests to violence and destruction distrupting both the economic and social activities of the citizenry thereby becoming counter-productive”.
Barrister Aderibigbe explained that at the end of it all, it is the masses, market operators, and the economy that becomes adversely affected by the protests.
The APC Stalwart opined that dialogue would have been a better and more realistic goal-achieving option and alternative to protests.
He mentioned that the last protests/strike embarked by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and Trade Union Congress, TUC over minimum wage issue was finally resolved via dialogue with Government that led to the new minimum wage of N70,000.
Barrister Aderibigbe appealed to the organizers/sponsors of the intending protest not to put the cart before the horse – not to start with protests that they may not be able to manage before they return to the table to dialogue.
He also suggested that the demands should be precise, fundamental and generic in nature, not politically motivated stating that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has set out to reposition and revamp an economy that has been battered for decades and in comatose.
He said
“The process will definitely come with initial hardship, but with perseverance, endurance, and faith in the Renewed Hope Agenda, a better Nigeria will be birthed where the citizenry will be enjoying true dividends of democracy on a continuous basis”.
The Legal Luminary cited instances where peaceful demonstrations were disrupted by criminal elements, resulting in the destruction of public and private property leading to economic hardships emphasizing the need to give the administration the chance to implement its plans for a better and united Nigeria.
He cited the approval on new minimum wage for workers, reduction of number of taxes from 52 to 10, provision and disbursement of Education Loans to Nigerian students to offload the burden from parents, implementation of Economic Sustainability Plan, Rice subsidy for Thirty-Six States for food security, introduction of Consumer Credit Scheme, Forty Trillion Infrastructure Fund for key National projects, Two Hundred Billion Naira Support for Small and Medium Scale Businesses, Seventy-Five Billion Naira Intervention Fund for the Manufacturing Sector for local production of consumer goods,Three Trillion Naira Economic Stabilization Fund to boost the economy, and One Hundred and Fifty Billion Naira investment in Compressed Natural Gas for Mass Transit among the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Administration at turning the economy around for a better and prosperous Nigeria.
Barrister Aderibigbe stressed that the President Tinubu’s administration is working hard to revive the economy and improve the quality of life for all and appealled to all Nigerians to support the government’s efforts and avoid actions that could further destabilize the Nation further.
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