Officials of the federal government are not happy that Nigerians who are rightly complaining about hardship in the country are focusing only on the government at the centre. There has , therefore, been a concerted campaign for Nigerians to also ask questions from other arms of government. The campaign which started from the eve of the protest which started on the first of August, continues even as the protesters stood their grounds. While the protesters were pounding the streets of major cities in five of the six geo-political zones of the country, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi went to Berekete FM, an Abuja-based private radio station to drum support for the government and educate people on what the federal government had done to alleviate their sufferings. He told them that President Bola Tinubu administration had increased the earnings of the states since after the removal of fuel subsidy last year. according to him, most of the governors now earn more than 100% of what they were getting before the removal of subsidy. He also promised to furnish the producer with details of the earnings. Malagi told his audience that the Tinubu administration also support the state chief executives with more money, aside from sending food items to the people through them to ease the pangs of hunger. Not only that, the minister said the government had distributed agricultural inputs like fertilisers to the states, so they could give to farmers. This, he said, part of efforts to ensure that the country produced enough foods for consumption in the country and end food insecurity.
Prior to the effort by Malagi, his counterpart in the cabinet, who is the Minister of State for Steel Development, Uba Maigari, had urged Nigerians to demand their state governors food items that the federal government sent to them, as remedial measures to ensure that the hardship currently being experienced is addressed.
Maigari, who spoke at a town hall engagement with stakeholders on the eve of the protest in Taraba State disclosed that several tonnes of rice and fertilisers were released to state governors for distribution. He said that state governors had received the palliative items and should be questioned on the distribution strategy to the intended population.
According to him, “As journalists and professionals, do your job by asking state governors, starting from our brother here (Governor of Taraba State).
“The president directed the release of rice and fertilisers in large quantities directly to state governors, whether they are PDP, APC, or APGA.
“He ( Governor Agbu Kefas) has taken delivery of fertilisers the federal government sent to governors, and there is also rice delivered to governors across the country.
“These are some of the remedial measures, including the new minimum wage which has just been signed into law before the long-term economic programmes and policies of government begin to benefit all.
“As a government, we are not against protest because we are democrats, but we are appealing that the youths should be patient and avoid being used by proponents of division.”
Also, the Taraba State ALGON Chairman, Dr Aminu Jauro, had appealed to residents of the state to shun the protests. According to him, the proposed protest might undermine these ongoing efforts and paint a picture of disunity at a time when solidarity and support are crucial.
He said, “I urge the youths, women, clubs, and associations within Jalingo local government to acknowledge and support the positive strides of the Executive Governor, by refraining from participating in the scheduled protest.
“Let us instead come together to engage in constructive dialogue, work collaboratively, and support the continuous progress of our state.”
The protest held despite the appeal but it was largely peaceful in Taraba, as compared with other states in the north.
