The minority caucus of the House of Representatives, on Wednesday, advised the Federal Government to interface with intending protesters in a bid to find a lasting solution to the issues raised by the latter.
The caucus made the demand as part of its resolution at the end of its special meeting/dinner in Abuja on Monday night.
A statement issued on Wednesday by the media team of the caucus quoted the Chairman, Kingsley Chinda, as urging those behind the planned protest to shelve the idea, citing the worrisome security situation in the country.
“We appeal to the government to dialogue with the planned protesters and also look at some of the messages they are raising, the critical areas that need government intervention. The government should intervene and ensure that issues are resolved amicably.
“We are not going to encourage any protesters because in the past, we observed in most cases that even peaceful protests have been overtaken by hoodlums, and with the insecurity situation in some parts of the country, you may not have the control of the gathering of people. So some unscrupulous people may use the opportunity to create chaos,” he said.
He also called on the Federal Government government to adopt a non-kinetic approach to tackling the security challenges in the country.
“We acknowledge and observe the insecurity situation in the country and we call on the government to use carrot and stick by ensuring that the result is seen. Let all the security chiefs do what is right to ensure that Nigerians are protected,” he added.
The caucus also called on the government to create means to ensure citizens are self-reliant in a bid to tackle the economic challenges in the country.
“We also acknowledged in our discussion that there is hunger in the land and we appeal to the government not only to be giving palliatives but to create ways and means whereby people can be self-reliant,” he said.
He said the dinner was organised to thank members of the caucus for their support.
“Basically the main purpose of our gathering was just to have an end-of-year dinner. We felt it is important to organise a dinner and thank all our members for giving us the necessary support,” he added.
