- By Halimah Olamide
Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike has said politics is at the centre of the nationwide protests against the country’s economic situation being planned to commence on August 1.
Wike said Nigeria has been rotten for a long time noting that a new government has come to fix the decay and should be given the room to mend the damages.
Wike stated this on Tuesday, while interacting with journalists after inspection of the Karshi to Apo Road construction project awarded 13 years ago.
“Let’s tell ourselves the simple truth. If we are playing politics let’s say we are playing politics; if we want to be sincere to ourselves, let’s be sincere to ourselves and help our country.
“The country is rotten. You know that the country is rotten, and a government has just come to see what it can do to at least, move it from where we are to a certain level, and you say that miracle must be performed within one year.
“You are here now, we are talking about a project that was awarded 13 good years ago, what has happened? Nothing.
“Now a government has come to see how it can fix all these things and we are in too much of a hurry demanding that it must be done now.
“It is not possible. The protest is a political protest,” he said.
The minister acknowledged that people were not happy due to hunger and unemployment, adding, however, that the current administration was not responsible for the current level of unemployment in the country.
According to him, the Tinubu led-administration is working hard to put things together, which of course will take some time.
“So, let’s not listen to political protesters and political jobbers who just want to be popular. You know there are some people who believe that if they don’t criticise, they will not be popular.
“We are going to elections very soon; these are political gimmicks.
“Just know that the government is a serious government and working to solve the problem.
“We believe that things will turn around, but we should be patient with the government,” he said.
There is a groundswell of preparations for a massive protest in the country over over hunger and insecurity.
Just on Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu appealed to those planning the protests to shelve the idea.
The Amnesty International also on Tuesday said the rights to protest belongs to Nigerians adding that no one should be intimidated for the planned protests.
Also on Tuesday the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, said he would not sit back and watch protesters destroy national infrastructure in the guise of protests.