The Honourable Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has called on the organizers of the proposed hunger protest to shelve the idea and come to a roundtable and dialogue with the Federal Government.

Badaru said protest is no longer necessary at the moment as President Bola Tinubu’s reforms have started yielding fruitful results, adding that the nation’s economy is on a gradual but steady path of recovery.

He therefore assured citizens that the administration will do more to meet their needs.

A statement signed by Matti Ali, Personal Assistant to the Minister on Media and Publicity and sent to Nationwide Reports, has it that Badaru said the reforms initiated by Mr. President have started improving the lives of Nigerians as the economic growth in Q1 2024 was the second fastest first-quarter growth in the last six years.
He said- “Defence strategy as enshrined in the Renewed Hope Agenda in improving security is yielding result as well. Mr. President is committed to the safety of lives and property through various security interventions. “There is a serious improvement in security as most of the roads and highways hitherto closed due to insecurity have been opened.

“Herders and farmers clashes have been solved by the creation of the Livestock Ministry and many farmers have returned to their farms. Mr. President is supporting the farmers and has encouraged State Governors to do the same.

“Also, there is the massive surrendering of terrorists, and high-profile terrorist kingpins have been arrested.
Another example of President Tinubu’s initiative according to the Minister is the creation of an instrument to support students. The introduction of the Nigerian Student Loan Scheme was initiated to increase access to higher education and reduce financial burdens on students.
“Furthermore, he said that another innovation of Mr. President is the massive increase in funding for infrastructures like roads, rails, energy, and irrigation (Dams and Channels) through the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund (RHIDF).”

The Minister opined that the innovation of selling crude oil to indigenous refining companies in Naira is another robust effort by Mr. President and the signing of the National Minimum Wage Act into Law, which is aimed at enhancing the welfare of the Nigerian Workers are all efforts at stabilizing the economy.

He also stated that another bold step taken by Mr. President is the autonomy granted to the Local Governments for effective accountability, development at the grassroots, and strengthening of governance. Adding that the President has also given different levels of palliatives to the State Government to support Nigerians to live a better life, in addition to social security intervention to states (Sub-Nationals), Post Subsidy Removal Presidential Grant and Loans Scheme, Nigerian Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), 3 Million Technical Talents (3MTT) and Skilled-Up Artisan Initiative (SUPA).
“The Minister said that since the launch of the compressed natural gas initiative (CNG) by Mr. President, it is expected that the cost of transportation will reduce as much as 50 percent adding that, this has unlocked the nation’s huge potential in the gas sector. CNG conversion centers are growing exponentially across the country, creating job opportunities, he explained. The Federal Government has also made available 30,000 kits for the conversion of 30,000 petrol-powered engines at no cost within the next 90 days. Also, the first batch of CNG Mass Transit Buses procured by the Federal Government for distribution to the 36 states and FCT have arrived.
In addressing the high cost of drugs and encouraging local production, the Minister stated that Mr. President has signed an executive order introducing zero tariffs and duties on imports of raw materials, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and manufacturing equipment. Also, the Federal Government has conducted two rounds of disbursement for primary healthcare revitalization through the basic health provision fund.
While acknowledging the democratic right to protest, the Minister cautioned against using the protest to cause mayhem, emphasizing that the proposed August 1 protest is poorly timed given the positive economic turnaround.