Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
As tension builds over the planned nationwide protest against hunger and bad governance billed to start tomorrow, August 1, the Senate has begged Nigerians to back down on the protest.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who made the appeal during emergency session of the Senate, Wednesday, said protest would not be in the national interest of the country.
He urged Nigerians to exercise more patience with Government as their grievances are being addressed, warning that staging a nationwide protest might be hijacked by unpatriotic fellows.
He said: “The senate in a closed-session deliberated on issues bordering on its workings in particular and the National Assembly in general.
“The senate particularly reviewed the current situation as regards the impending protest slated for Aug. 1 and accordingly urges that one year is not long enough to judge the present government.
“One year is not long enough for the policies being implemented by the current administration of President Bola Tinubu to yield the desired results.
“The Senate urges the protesters to give the government more time to address their demands considering the measures being put in place to ameliorate the situation in the country.”
He enumerated some of the steps to include: the signing of the National Minimum Wage Act, the sale of crude oil to local refiners in Naira, and the implementation of Students Loan Act.
Other measures according to him are the assent recently granted to the South-East and North-West Development Commissions bills passed by the National Assembly to further address developments at the grassroots.
The Senate President said that the Senate was willing to legislate on all matters that would bring about succuor to Nigerians in general.
He appealed for calm and vigilance.
