Planned Nationwide Protest: Okiro Appeals To Organizers To Shelve Idea, Urges  Dialogue

By Akinwale Kasali

Mike Okiro, a former Inspector General of Police, has urged the organizers of the planned Nationwide Protest commencing on August 1 to shelve the idea.

Okiro, also, a former Chairman of the Police Service Commission, said it is wise and resonable for the organizers to engage the  Federal Government in a dialogue, and navigate the way forward in addressing the economic downturn of the nation which has had  adverse effect on the masses.

Okiro, who was, also, a former  Chairman of the  Police Service Commission, PSC, made this call during

an interview with the News Agency og Nigeria, NAN, on Tuesday in Abuja. He stressed that it was constitutional for  Nigerians to protest against bad governance and leadership, but engaging in a dialogue was the best way to go.

He added that there is no doubt that Nigerians were passing through some challenges but noted that  it is easier to destroy but difficult to rebuild.

“The situation we are in now did not come overnight; it came over a period of time. Can we rebuild in one year what has been destroyed over time?

“The problem with protest is that, no matter how the organisers will go about it, there is bound to be loss of lives, destruction of properties, and hardship.

“My advice to Nigerians, as much as they have the right to protest, is that they should allow the government some time to ameliorate the hardship.

“What we ought to do is to allow the government put structures in place to alleviate the suffering of the masses. Government should come up with policies that will help develop the country,” he said.

He said that the current government inherited some challenges and is working towards solving them.

He said that President Bola Tinubu is an achiever, adding that if given the time, he can turn things around.

“There is a saying that nothing good comes easy. The current government inherited some challenges and needed to take some harsh decisions to solve them.

“Let’s give the government some time to ease this suffering that Nigerians are going through. The protest, if started, may end in violence; it may be hijacked by hoodlums.

“Rather than lead to any positive outcome, the protest may aggravate the living conditions of the people,“ he said.

Okiro said that giving palliative measures to the people was not the solution to the economic challenges in the country.

He urged the government to invest more in the productive sector in order to create employment opportunities for the youth and earn foreign exchange for the country.

He advised the Federal Government to encourage local rice farmers to boost production rather than allow importation of the product.

He said that the continued importation of rice, beans, and wheat would stifle the country`s weak economy.

The Federal Government recently announced plans for duty-free importation of selected food commodities like rice, maize, and wheat.

The initiative aims to increase food supply and replenish the government`s strategic grain reserve.