Following the protest which broke out in Minna, the capital of Niger State, over the economic hardship in the country, the former national vice chairman (North West) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Mohammed Lukman, has warned that the protest will spread across the country if the government fails to do something about the hardship in the country.
Nigerians had recently stormed the streets of Minna, the capital of Niger State, to protest against economic hardship. The protesters said that the government has not put in enough effort to address the high cost of living, and that the protest is aimed at drawing the attention of the government to their plight.
In a statement he released on Wednesday, the APC chieftain said that the protests were justified, and tackled his party for saying that the protests were sponsored by the opposition parties to undermine the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to the report by Daily Trust, he said,
“To suggest that any opposition party could mobilize citizens to protest our government is already defeatist. The hard reality is that these protests are logical responses to the realities facing Nigeria.
“If these realities continue unattended to, these protests will spread like bushfire across every part of the country within a very short period.
No one should be deceived, these are justifiable protests, which test the responsiveness of our party, our leaders, and above all, our democracy. APC and President Asiwaju Tinubu may wish to ignore them at their own peril.”