Ahead of the upcoming nationwide protest against economic hardship in the country, a former member of the House of Representativeness and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon Kayode Jelili Amusan has pleaded with the organisers of the protest and the citizens to reconsider their stance and put it on hold to allow for proper dialogue.
The was contained in statement made available to news men in Abuja by the former federal lawmaker who is Chairman Kamson Holdings Limited and represented Abeokuta North/Odeda/Obafemi-Owode Federal Constituency from 2003-2011
Amusan urged that rather embarking on the much touted violent protest, organisers and citizens should show more understanding and patience towards the many initiatives and programs already being initiated by
the Federal Government towards alleviating the present harsh economic realities the nation is presently facing.
He further advised that rather than to embarking on protests that may spiral out of control and lead to a breakdown of law and order, as recently witnessed in Kenya, the brains behind the protests should rather seek a way where themselves and representatives of the Federal Government can sit on a round table and they can put their demands forward and even ask for specific timelines to realistic demands,
He argued that politicizing the situation may not be in the best interest of the citizens and the Nation at large
According to Amusan, ‘’the present economic realities of our nation call for a concern and we need concerted efforts, both on the part of the elected government officials and the people being governed to pull through and return our nation to the path of economic recovery.
“The citizens have a right to protest and make their grievances known to the government but the truth is, as we have seen with Kenya, protests without identified leaders can be hijacked by people with ulterior motives and then we have a breakdown of law and order.
“Nigeria cannot afford that chaotic situation at a time like this. What we need is to come together as a people, both the government and the governed and find lasting solutions to the many challenges we are facing as a responsible citizens and nation
“The current economic situation in the country is not one anyone should be proud of, regardless of our political or social standing. As we have seen that the government is putting measures in place to arrest the situation, what we need right now is not a protest but concerted efforts at returning our nation to its days of self-sufficiency and prosperity.”
Amusan a two-time governorship aspirant in Ogun State also commended the judiciary and the President Bola Tinubu government for the recent Supreme Court pronouncement on local government autonomy.
According to him “the local government is the closest to the people, it should be synonymous with rural development, empowerment and any efforts towards strengthening it should be supported.”
The Supreme Court’s landmark judgement included a decision that overturned the longstanding practice where state governments received federal allocations on behalf of local government areas and withheld the funds.
Nigeria’s Supreme Court affirmed on 11 July the financial autonomy of the nation’s 774 local governments.
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