Amid growing concerns over the planned nationwide protest against economic hardship, an emergency meeting has been convened by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume.
The meeting, which is being held behind closed doors, includes the full participation of President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet of over 40 ministers. Key attendees spotted at the meeting include Nyesom Wike (FCT), Yusuf Tuggar (Foreign Affairs), Zephaniah Jisalo (Special Duties), Tahir Mamman (Education), and Abubakar Bagudu (Budget and Planning). Also present are Wale Edun (Finance), Mohammed Idris (Information), Bello Matawalle (Defence), David Umahi (Works), and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, among others.
The purpose of this high-level meeting is to address the imminent threat posed by the protest organized by unidentified groups, which has been gaining significant traction on social media. Scheduled to commence on August 1, the #EndBadGovernance protest is set to span all 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Earlier on Tuesday, President Tinubu had publicly appealed to Nigerians to reconsider participating in the protest. The President’s plea comes as part of an effort to mitigate the impact of the planned demonstrations, which aim to highlight and protest against economic difficulties facing the country. The administration is reportedly seeking strategies to address the root causes of the discontent and prevent the protest from escalating.