The Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) has called for dialogue between the Federal Government and leaders of the protests scheduled to begin on August 1 against the high cost of living.
The organization also demanded immediate withdrawal of the increased electricity rates as a goodwill gesture and reduction in the prices of food and fuel.
However, Otunba Wasiu Afolabi, Chairman of the OPC, in a statement, advised protesters to remain non-violent and pursue dialogue.
“A hungry man is an angry man. The government must reduce the price of food, electricity and fuel so that peace prevails and people know that the government cares about their welfare,” Afolabi said.
The Yoruba socio-cultural organisation said President Bola Tinubu should immediately issue an executive order opening all borders between the South-West and South-South of the country to enable faster flow of foodgrains and reduce prices.
The OPC Chairman encouraged the government to focus on producing domestic fuel at the country's refineries to address the problem of insufficient and expensive petroleum products.
The OPC said, “If one man, Aliko Dangote, can build a refinery in less than 10 years, how can the simple maintenance of four full-fledged and functional refineries since civilians took power in 1999 be an impossible task? What is the secret?
“The government must identify, expose and apprehend the factions and all enemies making the lives of ordinary people in Nigeria unnecessarily difficult. This nation belongs to all of us and Nigerians should be able to enjoy their commonwealth.
“A situation in which citizens are urged to tighten their belts; but politicians are spending more on public money than lives can only lead to discontent and rebellion. The government must pay the cost of governance. These are tough times and leaders must also adopt austerity measures.”
Additionally, the socio-cultural organization requested the police to prevent the demonstration from falling into the hands of hooligans who may use it for looting and creating vandalism.
The OPC said Nigerian leaders and protest organisers should not follow the path of Kenya, where protests degenerated into bloodshed, with lives lost and property destroyed indiscriminately.
The organisation said, “Protesters and the government in Kenya have lost control. We cannot afford to go down that path. We have no other country to turn to but Nigeria; and we cannot allow civil protests to get out of control.”
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