The governor of Kaduna, Uba Sani, has said the people of the state should eschew taking part in the planned nationwide protest against the economic hardship.
On Monday, youths in Niger State came out with placards displaying anti-government inscriptions—three days earlier the planned nationwide demonstration.
They marched through the Abuja-Kaduna expressway in Suleja LGA of the state, chanting ‘Fuel subsidy must be back’, ‘Enough is enough’, ‘Stop anti-masses policies’, ‘We are not slaves in our country’, and ‘Hardship is unbearable’.
The planned nationwide protest is scheduled to commence on August 1.
However, speaking at a stakeholders’ town hall meeting in Kaduna on Monday, Governor Sani pleaded with residents to remain calm in the middle of the demonstrations in neighbouring states.
He stated that many of the bloody crises in Kaduna began as protests.
“We know the antecedents of notable ‘protests’ and where they left us in the past,” he said.
“Practically, every notable upheaval we have experienced in this state in the last 25 years began as a protest.
“On Monday, 21 February 2000, what began as a protest in Kaduna State led to over 5000 deaths in about 48 hours.
“Similarly, in 2011, what began as a free and open protest over presidential election results spilled over into an avalanche of bloodshed.
“The EndSARS protest of four years ago is very fresh in our memories. This too was wickedly hijacked and twisted into a festival of looting and destruction, with loss of life and limb in many parts of Kaduna State.
“Going further back, the carnage that erupted in Kaduna in 1987 and 1992 began with people trying to come out to express themselves and to protest certain issues.
“Recent history has given us enough evidence. We are aware that there are dark sections of our society that are too happy to seize on the honest disaffections of well-meaning Nigerians.
“These elements actually have no concern for good governance or improving the plight of citizens. They are driven purely by their own hate and selfishness, and they have no qualms whatsoever with messing up our collective reality.
“How then can we casually welcome what we know to be a trigger of violence, death, and destruction in our midst?
“In a bid to complement existing efforts towards cushioning any untoward impact of the proposed protest, I have since directed the overseer of the ministry of internal security and home affairs to work closely with the heads of security agencies on a constant review of the security situation and to report to me for prompt and relevant action.”
Sani emphasized that the peace and stability of Kaduna are fundamental, saying that the present times calls for deep retrospection, sound reasoning, a high sense of patriotism, and sacrificing for the common good.
The governor also noted that President Bola Tinubu has been tasked with restructuring the country. He said that progress is being made.