Be mindful how you handle planned protest – Ijaw group tells Nigerian Govt

The Ijaw National Congress, INC, has advised the Federal Government and security agencies to exercise caution in their responses to the nationwide protest planned to hold August 1 to August 10.

The President of INC, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, gave the advice in Abuja on Saturday at a news conference tagged ‘State of the Nation: What the Federal Government Should Do’.

Okaba said that Federal Government should guard against inflammatory rhetoric and heavy-handed tactics, which could exacerbate tensions and plunge the nation into chaos.

“As our nation teeters on the brink of a proposed protest amidst unprecedented national hardship, the Ijaw National Congress, INC, urges the Federal Government and security agencies to exercise extreme caution in their responses to the agitations.

“We advise against inflammatory rhetoric and heavy-handed tactics, which could exacerbate tensions and plunge our nation into chaos.

“We equally advise all Nigerians; a peace protest is not criminal in as much as we all play according to the rules and regulations guiding such civil demonstrations,” he said.

Okaba said that the current state of the Nigerian nation was one of great concern, as it was bedeviled with various challenges threatening the peace, stability and prosperity of the country.

He urged the government to embark on constructive engagement with stakeholders with a view to providing immediate, medium term and long term remedies to the challenges.

The INC President therefore appealed to the Federal Government to take immediate steps to address the root causes of these challenges.

He said that such steps should include economic reforms to stimulate growth and reduce poverty, insecurity and violence in the nation.

He also advocated transparency and accountability in governance, social justice and equality for all Nigerians.

Be mindful how you handle planned protest – Ijaw group tells Nigerian Govt