ABUJA – Thousands of Nigerian women, weekend, gathered at the Eagle Square to say, “No” to the planned August 1st protest.
The women who came from different states of the federation, expressed their support to the Tinubu led administration, while calling on the youths to “shun violent protest.”
The rally was organised by Women for Peace, Security and Social lnclusion lnitiative (WPSSII).
Addressing the marmot crowd, Mrs Tinu Abiola, the Chairperson of the organization cautioned against “violent protests.” This is as she called for “peaceful dialogue” among citizens and stakeholders.
She said, “Violent protests and demonstrations only lead to further division and destruction. They hinder our progress as a nation and undermine the efforts of those striving for positive change.
“Instead let us conduct ourselves in a peaceful manner, respecting the rights and dignity of every individual. Our actions today will shape the Nigeria of tomorrow, and it is our responsibility to ensure that we leave behind a legacy of peace and unity for the younger generations.
“Violent protests undermine the very causes they seek to advance, eroding public support and escalating harm to innocent individuals. The core of effective advocacy lies in peaceful, constructive dialogue, not in aggression and destruction.
“Violence often shifts the focus away from the legitimate grievances being voiced, creating opportunities for opponents to discredit and dismiss the movement.”
On her part, Bilkisu Ademola, National Coordinator of the Northern Women Forum, while addressing the rising unrest, urged families to dissuade their children from resorting to violent protests.
“You cannot use violence to seek progress. Many protesters believe only through unrest can their voices be heard. She warned of the risks if protests are hijacked by hoodlums and called on the government to take visible and meaningful actions to address public grievances.”
Ademola also suggested gradual adjustments to fuel prices and debt servicing as potential measures to ease public frustration and stabilize the situation.
Hon. Felix Idowu, Vice President, Women for Peace, Security, and Social Inclusion Initiatives on his part emphasized the pivotal role of mothers in guiding peaceful resolution of the issue.
According to him, “Dialogue is better than protest. Positive developments such as the signing of the minimum wage and local government autonomy laws.”
Idowu stressed the importance of structured dialogue over protests, highlighting concerns about the potential for economic disruption. He therefore urged the government to swiftly form a committee for discussions similar to those with labor unions to avoid the negative impacts seen in other countries like Kenya.
Meanwhile, Patience Andrew, a banker and financial expert, highlighted the economic risks of prolonged shutdowns. She disclosed that, “A ten-day shutdown would lead to a significant financial loss.”
She however, warned that the oil sector alone could lose $5 million daily, with additional impacts on the informal sector.
She underscored the detrimental effects on ordinary citizens and stressed the need for dialogue to address economic hardships.
Andrew also pointed to the soaring inflation rate and warned that any further disruption would exacerbate the situation, urging a reversal of fuel price increases as a step towards stabilization.
Another participant, Hajiya Salamatu Agum Bala, Leader, Women Link, Nasarawa State also dwelt on the necessity for dialogue as a way to move the nation forward.
“Even though some people are planning to protest the current hardship in the country, we are calling on them to give government a chance to look into the situation and find solutions to the issues on ground.
“So that the government can adequately address issues like youth unemployment, inflation, insecurity and other socioeconomic ills. We call on our women and youths not to engage in the protests because those that are calling for the protests have their own hidden agenda.
“Rather they should join hands with the government of President Bola Tinubu to address the issues affecting the country. On their own part, the government should provide money to small scale enterprises to grow their businesses and farmers to grow their crops.
“The government cannot employ everybody, for instance in the United States and other developed countries, only 30-40% of people work for government, the rest are in the private sector. We have fertile land, a good environment and our youths are hard working and full of energy, so they should be provided with an enabling environment to grow their occupations.
“And government should look at ways of bringing down the cost of fuel as every activity including transportation, power supply, agriculture, pumping of water for irrigation, food processing etc are dependent on fuel so if it comes down, it will have a positive multiplier effect on the economy.”
Overall, leaders across various sectors are advocating for peaceful solutions and proactive government action to address the underlying issues driving the protests while avoiding further economic and social turmoil.
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