Arewa community, traders distance self from national protests

They said they are totally against the proposed national protest, scheduled to start tomorrow, August 1, because “we believe we don’t need any national protests against the administration of President Bola Tinubu at the moment, especially when there are a lot of transformations and people-oriented policies being carried out by the President Bola Tinubu-led government.”

Speaking during a world press conference held at the Lagos Airport Hotel in Ikeja, on Wednesday, the leader of the Arewa Community and Traders in Lagos State, Alhaji Shehu Usman, said his people are totally against the proposed national protests and will not be part of any plan to cause trouble in Lagos State.

Usman therefore implored all the members of the Arewa community and traders in Lagos State not to take part in the national protests.

He said: “We are fully aware that some politicians and their sponsors, under the guise of protesting against what they claim is hardship in Nigeria, have ganged up to bring down the democratically elected government of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

“We are worried and concerned about the plan of the faceless sponsors of the protest and individuals who are determined to achieve their evil objectives through acts of brigandage and criminality during their proposed #EndBadGovernance protest, scheduled to hold from tomorrow, August 1 to 10, 2024.

“We recognise the constitutional rights of every Nigerian citizen to protest peacefully, but the drums of war being beaten from various quarters in the country based on the demands of those championing the national protest, targeting Lagos State, the home state of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will not be allowed by the Arewa Community and Traders in Lagos, who are living in different parts of the state.

“We are not in support of the protest because we believe some fifth columnists, politicians, and those who want to set Nigeria, particularly Lagos, on fire are behind the protests for selfish interests.”

Speaking further on why the Arewa Community and Traders in Lagos are against the proposed national protest, Usman disclosed that: “The images left behind after the EndSARS protest of 2020 are fresh in our memories. We don’t want to repeat that bad event where people lost properties worth billions of naira.

“We don’t want another mass destruction of public and private properties in Lagos State. We don’t want another destruction of public assets in Lagos State, which is the commercial and economic nerve center of Nigeria.

“As Arewa Community and Traders in Lagos State, we want to say unequivocally that we will stand against any protest against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos State. We are against any protests in Lagos State because we don’t want any destruction in the state. We are in support of peace in Lagos and Nigeria.

“Lagos State has been home to many of us for many years, and we will not support any attempt to destroy the state in the name of protests by some faceless groups and individuals. We are against the protests, and we want all our members not to participate in the national protests.”

Also speaking, the Arewa Women Leader in Lagos State, Hajiya (Barr.) Fatima Bako, also kicked against the protests. “We are saying no to the national protest because we want peace in Lagos State and Nigeria. We are totally against the protest,” she said.

The world press conference was attended by leaders and members of the Arewa Community and Traders in different parts of Lagos State who unanimously spoke against the national protests while speaking in both English and Hausa.