The Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), has appealed to Nigerians to call off the ongoing nationwide protest and give the President Bola Tinubu led administration a chance to redeem itself.
The appeal was made on Friday In a statement signed by the trio, Alhaji Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) Archbishop Daniel Okoh, President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and NIREC Executive Secretary,Rev. Fr. Cornelius Omonokhus.
The body which is co- headed by the sultan of Sokoto and the CAN President also urged the federal government to expedite action towards meeting the needs of Nigerians.
According to the statement, “…observes with heavy heart the happenings in the country at the moment. The protest that commenced in a peaceful manner on Thursday, August 1, 2024 despite pleas from all quarters, took a turn for the worse and became violent later in the day. In just a few hours lives and property were lost due to this unfortunate scenario.
“It is without doubt that there is hunger and hardship in the country but civil unrest is not the solution as it would only further aggravate the already frail state of the nation. NIREC hereby calls on fellow citizens of Nigeria to please call off this protest and give the Government a chance to redeem itself.
“In just one day lives and enormous amount of property have been destroyed. Imagine if this continues for a prolonged period of time, only God knows the extent of damage that would be incurred. The Council calls on the security agencies to be more professional in the discharge of their duties.
“NIREC urges the government to expedite action towards meeting the yearning and needs of the citizens. We need a peaceful and tranquil nation we can be proud to call our own. May God bless us all,” the statement said.
