Traditional rulers, led by His Imperial Majesty, Ọọ̀ni Adéyẹyè Ẹnitàn Babátúndé Ògúnwùsì – Ọ̀jájá II and His Eminence, Sa’ad Abubakar III, The Sultan of Sokoto, under the aegis of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN), have called for calm over the planned nationwide protest against the prevailing economic hardship in Nigeria.
The protest, scheduled to begin on August 1st, 2024, has gained traction on social media, prompting a meeting between the traditional rulers and President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday.
The Ọọ̀ni called for caution so the protest would not be hijacked.
“We traditional rulers are not engaged in people, especially the youth coming out to start looting to start breaking down law and order. We are parents, we are traditional rulers, we are closer to them,” he said.
“We are going to go back home and continue to engage them. It is very difficult to build, but it is the easiest to destroy. We are all stakeholders in this country. We should be stronger as a nation together, than stronger individually.”
The Dein of Agbor, HRM Benjamin Keagborekuzi, also called for patience.
“We will listen to our youths because they lead the future. The power and the strength of Nigeria are certainly with the young people.
“We feel your pain. I’m a young person myself. It’s been 24 years that I’ve been back and it’s been 24 years that I’ve sadly seen the nation going in a very unpalatable direction. But by God’s grace, I think if you would give us the chance, this protest, I know that it’s catching you very, very high in the net. But if you give us the chance, let us not destroy our own country. ”
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