Hardship: Protests not the best option — Amb. Waiya

Ibrahim Waiya, Executive Director, Citizens for Development and Education (CDE), said that, in spite of the economic hardship in the country, protests are not the best option to address the situation.

Waiya stated this on Monday in Kano against the backdrop of alleged plans by yet-to-be identified groups to stage mass protests in the country.

“The level of our civilisation, exposure and sentiment around religion and ethnicity may not allow us to have well-coordinated protests,” he said.

Waiya, who doubles as the Chairman of the Conference of Northern States Civil Society Networks, said they are in support of peaceful protests.

“We are, however, sceptical about what could be the outcome, as some selfish politicians may take advantage of our division to hijack the process.

“Peaceful protest is lawful in Nigeria; however, our fear is that the protest has the potential to stagnate the daily businesses of the poor in the country and aggravate their sufferings," he said.

The executive director urged the federal government to urgently address the current challenges being faced by Nigerians.

“In 2022, the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed that about 130 million Nigerian citizens are in multidimensional poverty, he said.

He faulted measures adopted by the federal government after the removal of subsidies on gasoline.

Waiya said that the interventions adopted by the government aretemporary and inadequate to address the current challenges in the country.