ASHENEWS reports that as the nationwide protest against the hardship in the country enters into its fourth day, President Bola Tinubu has begged Nigerians to suspend the ongoing demonstrations to create room for dialogue.
The President stated this in a nationwide broadcast on Sunday, the fourth day of the 10-day nationwide protest organised under the auspices of #EndBadGovernance.
The president in his address said that he recognises the pains of Nigerians due to events in the country.
“Under the circumstances, I hereby enjoin protesters and the organisers to suspend any further protest and create room for dialogue, which I have always acceded to at the slightest opportunity.
“Nigeria requires all hands on deck and needs us all – regardless of age, party, tribe, religion or other divides, to work together in reshaping our destiny as a nation.
“To those who have taken undue advantage of this situation to threaten any section of this country, be warned: The law will catch up with you. There is no place for ethnic bigotry or such threats in the Nigeria we seek to build.
Addressing calls for the reinstatement of fuel subsidies, the president described the decision of the federal government on the issue as necessary as it impeded the country’s growth.
“I therefore took the painful yet necessary decision to remove fuel subsidies and abolish multiple foreign exchange systems which had constituted a noose around the economic jugular of our Nation and impeded our economic development and progress.
“These actions blocked the greed and the profits that smugglers and rent-seekers made. They also blocked the undue subsidies we had extended to our neighbouring countries to the detriment of our people, rendering our economy prostrate.
“These decisions I made were necessary if we must reverse the decades of economic mismanagement that didn’t serve us well. Yes, I agree, the buck stops on my table. But I can assure you that I am focused fully on delivering the governance to the people – good governance for that matter,” he said.
The president commiserated with families of protesters who lost their lives during the demonstration.
He also called on security agencies to continue to maintain peace and protect the demonstrators in line with the conventions on human rights.
