As the planned ‘EndBadGovernance’ protest scheduled for August approaches, President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria convened an emergency closed-door meeting on Thursday, July 25, 2024 with top traditional rulers, security officials, and governors from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The meeting was held at the State House in Abuja.
The APC governors, led by Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, were joined by notable traditional rulers including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, and the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Saad Abubakar III. National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, and other cabinet members were also in attendance.
A delegation of Islamic scholars (Ulamas) later joined the high-powered meeting with the President.
President Tinubu, who assumed office in May 2023, has urged dissatisfied youths to cancel the planned ‘EndBadGovernance’ protest. The protest, gaining momentum on social media, is a response to the economic hardship and is set to take place across all states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in August.
Military authorities warned on Thursday that the protest could be hijacked by unscrupulous elements aiming to incite anarchy, similar to recent events in Kenya. The police also cautioned against violent demonstrations, with Governor Uzodinma noting the potential for the protest to turn violent like the EndSARS protests of October 2020.
The economic crisis, marked by soaring prices of food and basic commodities, has been exacerbated by the government’s policies on petrol subsidy removal and forex window unification, leading to one of the worst inflation periods in Nigeria.
