Niger State Stakeholders Distance Themselves from Planned Nationwide Protest

By Awwal Umar Kontagora Stakeholders in Niger State have distanced themselves from the planned nationwide protest. This decision was made kn...

By Awwal Umar Kontagora

Stakeholders in Niger State have distanced themselves from the planned nationwide protest. This decision was made known during a Town Hall Meeting on the State of State Affairs, held today at the Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Hall in Minna, the state capital.

The meeting was attended by several prominent figures, including the State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, his Deputy, Comr. Yakubu Garba, the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Hon. Abdulmalik Sarkin Daji, the Chief Judge of Niger State, Justice Halima Abdulmalik, the Commissioner of Police, heads of security agencies, members of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), the Students Union Government (SUG), the National Association of Niger State Students (NANISS), members of the Artisan Association, traditional leaders, the Imams Forum, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Vigilante Group, the Road Transport Union, the Marketers Association, and other critical stakeholders.

Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago emphasized that dialogue is a better path than protest, declaring that Niger State youths are peaceful and will not participate in any protest.

“We have distanced ourselves from the nationwide protest because we are peaceful and want peace and tranquility. You can start a demonstration, but you cannot end it. To the youths who are agitating for this protest, end the agitation; let us dialogue on the best way forward,” the Governor stated.

Meanwhile, in a bid to bring relief to the people, the Governor announced the release of 50,000 metric tons of assorted grains, including rice, maize, guinea corn, millet, and beans, to be sold at 50 percent less than the current market price.

The Governor said committees would be set up to facilitate the comprehensive sale of these food items at soon-to-be-announced designated areas across all 25 local government areas. He called on security agencies, religious leaders, and traditional leaders to ensure proper monitoring of the sales.

He mentioned that the food items are from the 100,000 metric tons of food in the state government reserve, adding that his administration intends to slash food prices by 90 percent in the next few months. He reiterated that agriculture is the way forward and called on the people to engage in farming for prosperity.

The Governor, who declared his support for local government autonomy, urged local government officials to serve the people diligently. He also announced a N20,000 wage award for state and local government civil servants, allowing them to buy the grains and pay in four installments.

While appreciating the support of all Nigerlites for his administration, the Governor appealed to them to continue praying for him and President Tinubu to implement policies that would foster development and bring relief to the people.

In his address, the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, AbdulMalik Sarkin Daji, commended the Governor's efforts in providing purposeful leadership and assured him of the continued support of the State Assembly. He mentioned that a more rewarding program would be organized to engage the youth rather than participating in the planned protest.

Representatives of other critical stakeholders, including security agencies, religious leaders, traditional rulers, organized labor, youths, civil society organizations, and inter-tribal groups, in their separate submissions, all agreed that protest is not the way to go and hence, they will not participate. They commended the Governor’s efforts to alleviate the sufferings of the people and assured him of their continued support for the success of his administration.