INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church Leader, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has warned President Bola Tinubu against halting the upcoming August 1 protest to address the country’s widespread hardship.
In a statement released by his Media Aide, Oluwatosin Osho, Primate Ayodele emphasized the growing bitterness among Nigerians and the palpable hatred towards the current government due to escalating economic challenges.
He urged the government to take immediate steps to mitigate the adverse effects by reducing the prices of essential commodities such as food, fuel, and electricity.
Ayodele highlighted that the current economic strain affects both the poor and the rich, a situation many did not anticipate despite his previous warnings against electing another APC government.
He implored President Tinubu to disregard those who claim that the country’s economic situation is improving, insisting that such advisors are deceiving the president.
“People are very bitter and they have hatred towards this government. Some states will participate and some will not, but there will definitely be protests,” Ayodele stated.
“The government needs to crash the prices of food, electricity, petroleum, find solutions to insecurity, regulate prices, and other measures to mitigate the effects of the protest.”
He further noted that the severity of the hardship has left many Nigerians in a dire state, urging the government to act swiftly to prevent the protest from escalating into something more severe.
Ayodele described the government’s approach as “assumption-based” and disconnected from the reality of the people’s sufferings
“This government must adjust. It’s very simple to stop this protest by doing all that is needed. It will be a protest of hunger, pain, and reward,” he added.
“The hardship is affecting everyone, rich and poor alike. People didn’t expect this. Those surrounding the government are deceiving him and want it to collapse. The government has not done anything significant, so they should expect the protest to stand.”
Ayodele also called for improved welfare for Nigerians, criticizing the government’s recent increment in the minimum wage as insufficient.
“Nigeria deserves better welfare. The increment in the minimum wage is not an achievement. Let this government pursue achievements that the people will be grateful for.”