The Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) has appealed to the convener of the planned protest and President Bola Tinubu’s government to urgently engage in critical and realistic dialogue before the situation degenerates or snowballs into an uncontrollable scenario.
JNI secretary general Khalid Aliyu, who gave the advice in a statement on Friday, said although Nigerians are enduring unprecedented hardships, protest might not be the panacea.
“The JNI, under the leadership of Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, with all sense of responsibility, appeals to the protest convener, their covert and overt benefactors.
“As well as other critical stakeholders and the federal government of Nigeria to urgently engage in critical and realistic dialogue before the situation degenerates or snowballs into an uncontrollable scenario.
“Nigerians no doubt are passing through difficult challenges, but protest might not be the panacea,” the JNI statement said.
According to JNI, the global landscape is replete with sordid tales of the repercussions of protests in Libya, Syria, Iraq, the U.S. (Capitol Hill), Ukraine, Tunisia, Sudan, and Russia, among others, did not yield desired results, rather they rendered most of these countries either ungovernable or partly destroyed.
The JNI statement added, “A glance through the events in Kenya gives some glimpses of what might envelop our dear nation Nigeria, which is struggling to survive the multiple challenges that dot the landscape of the country.
“Undoubtedly, protests in Nigeria could mar our efforts at addressing these challenges. As it may, we should learn from the bad experiences of protests in other climes and we should avoid the bobby traps they had fallen into.”
The Islamic organisation said the sultan implored all Nigerians to be introspective and honest on the matter, saying that the discontentment and disillusionment expressed are real and needed to be tackled head-on by Mr Tinubu’s government.
“Therefore, the JNI is compelled to make this clarion call and passionate plea to all concerned parties. We have stated times without number in our previous press releases that food security is synonymous with home security,” said JNI.
It urged Mr Tinubu’s government to make more frantic efforts to secure the country so that the citizens could access their lands.
The religious organisation said the government should provide subsidised farming materials, promote industrialisation, and create self-sustaining agro-business in the six geopolitical zones.
It added that the government should also enhance quality education, especially primary, technical and vocational education.
(NAN)
