A former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has charged President Bola Tinubu to listen to Nigerians who have taken to the streets to protest the current hardship in the country.
Nigerians had set August 1 as the date to commence protest against bad governance and hardship and the first day was deemed successful.
Some lives and properties were, however, lost and destroyed in the process.
Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 polls in Nigeria, in a statement issued by his media office on Friday, commended the protesters and charged Tinubu’s government on the way forward.
He stated, “To the government, I admonish you to heed the voices of the people and come down from your high horses. It is time to demonstrate a sincere commitment to addressing the demands of the protesters.
“The nation cannot afford further days of unrest; let this be the moment where leadership listens and acts with integrity and urgency.
“The commencement of public protests across the country yesterday is noteworthy.
“These demonstrations have opened a vital channel for the public to express disapproval of government policies, furthering the essential conversation about good governance in our nation.
“For the most part, protesters have conducted themselves with admirable peace and must be commended for their restraint and dedication.
“However, in some isolated instances, there have been reports of violence, leading to regrettable clashes and brutalities by the police.
“I urge the protesters to maintain their peaceful stance and call on more Nigerians to show solidarity and support for the #EndBadGovernance peaceful protest.
“This is a pivotal moment for our collective voice to be heard, and it must be done with dignity and respect for the law.”
“The police must refrain from the molestation of journalists who are merely reporting the protest. It is imperative that security agencies exercise restraint while enforcing law and order,” he added.
“Security agencies are encouraged to identify and isolate the minority elements who are resorting to violence and looting, ensuring that the actions of a few do not tarnish the majority of peaceful protesters,” he concluded.
