The Presidency has asserted that Nigerians who are unaware of their local government chairpersons do not have the right to protest against President Bola Tinubu over economic difficulties.
Abiodun Essiet, Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Community Engagement (North Central), made this statement on Sunday via her X handle. She emphasized that it would be inappropriate for Nigerians, who are not informed about their grassroots leaders, to protest against the economic policies of President Tinubu.
In her statement, Essiet posed several questions to Nigerians: “Who is your councilor? Who is your local government chairperson or caretaker committee chair? What was the last federal government allocation to your local government or state? Who is your governor? Who is the speaker of your state assembly? Can you mention five productive interventions of your governor or our president?”
Essiet argued that those who cannot answer these questions correctly do not qualify to protest or share posts about the protest. She further advised Nigerians considering participation in the August protest against the federal government to reflect on whether the children of protest leaders will also join.
She encouraged Nigerians to explore other means of engagement before resorting to protests. Essiet asked, “Do you know if the children of the people leading your protest are also joining the protest? What other means have you used to engage the government before protesting?”
Concluding her statement, Essiet stressed that no one is stopping peaceful protests but warned against destroying government or private properties. She added, “Don’t target Lagos in your protest; Lagos is our economic backbone and pays the highest minimum wage.”
