Protest: Former I-G advises organisers to shelve plan

A former Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Mr Mike Okiro, has advised the organisers of the planned nationwide protest to shelve their plan and engage in dialogue with the Federal Government.

Okiro, who made the call in an interview with our reporter on Tuesday in Abuja, said that constitutionally, Nigerians have the right to protest against bad governance and leadership.

It was reported that some organisers are gearing up for a nationwide peaceful protest slated for Aug. 1 to 10, demanding effective leadership and a reduced cost of living among others.

He said that no doubt that Nigerians were passing through some challenges, adding that it was easier to destroy but difficult to rebuild.

“The situation we are in now did not come overnight; it came over a period of time. Can we rebuild in one year what has been destroyed over time.

“The problem with protest is that, no matter how the organisers will go about it, there is bound to be loss of lives, destruction of properties and hardship.

“My advice to Nigerians as much as they have the right to protest, is that they should allow the government some time to ameliorate the hardship.

“What we ought to do is to allow the government put structures in place to alleviate the suffering of the masses. Government should come up with policies that will help develop the country,” he said.

The former chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) said that the current government inherited some challenges and it is working towards solving them.

He said that President Bola Tinubu is an achiever, adding that if he is given the time he can turn things around.

“There is a saying that nothing good comes easy. The current government inherited some challenges and needed to take some harsh decisions to solve them.

“Let’s us give the government some time to ease this suffering that Nigerians are going through. The protest, if started, may end in violence; it may be hijacked by hoodlums.

“Rather than lead to any positive outcome, the protest may aggravate the living conditions of the people,” he said.

Okiro said that giving palliative measures to the people was the not the solution to the economic challenges in the country.

He urged the government to invest more in the productive sector in order to create employment opportunities for the youths and earn foreign exchange for the country.

Okiro advised the Federal Government to encourage local rice farmers to boost production rather than allow importation of the product.

He said that the continued importation of rice, beans and wheat would stifled the country`s weak economy.

It was reported that the Federal Government recently announced plans for duty-free importation of selected food commodities like rice, maize and wheat.

The initiative aims to increase food supply and replenish the government’s strategic grain reserve.