President Bola Tinubu has ordered the suspension of the nationwide endbad governance and hunger protests to create room for dialogue with the organizers.
Tinubu gave the order on Sunday while addressing the nation in a national broadcast.
His decision was premised on“the loss of lives in Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna and other states, the destruction of public facilities in some states, and the wanton looting of supermarkets and shops, contrary to the promise of protest organisers that the protest would be peaceful across the country”.
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According to him, “the destruction of properties sets us back as a nation, as scarce resources will be again used to restore them”.
While commiserating with the families and relations of those who have died in the protests, Tinubu says, “we must stop further bloodshed, violence and destruction”, adding that”as President of this country, I must ensure public order. In line with my constitutional oath to protect the lives and property of every citizen, our government will not stand idly by and allow a few with a clear political agenda to tear this nation apart”.
He said, he understood the pain and frustration that drove the protests, assuring that the government was committed to listening and addressing the concerns of the citizens.
“My dear Nigerians, especially our youth, I have heard you loud and clear. I understand the pain and frustration that drive these protests, and I want to assure you that our government is committed to listening and addressing the concerns of our citizens.
“But we must not let violence and destruction tear our nation apart. We must work together to build a brighter future, where every Nigerian can live with dignity and prosperity.
“The task before us is a collective one, and I am leading the charge as your President. A lot of work has gone into stabilising our economy and I must stay focused on ensuring that the benefits reach every single Nigerian as promised”, he said.
Speaking on efforts being made to address the hunger in the land, President Tinubu said, “We are providing incentives to farmers to increase food production at affordable prices.
“I have directed that tariffs and other import duties should be removed on rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, drugs, and other pharmaceutical and medical supplies for the next 6 months, in the first instance, to help drive down the prices.
“I have been meeting with our Governors and key Ministers to accelerate food production. We have distributed fertilisers. Our target is to cultivate more than 10 million hectares of land to grow what we eat.
“The Federal Government will provide all necessary incentives for this initiative, whilst the states provide the land, which will put millions of our people to work and further increase food production.
“In the past few months, we have also ordered mechanized farming equipment such as tractors and planters, worth billions of Naira from the United States, Belarus, and Brazil. I can confirm to you that the equipment is on the way”, he said.
