President Bola Tinubu says he is not afraid of protests but his worries are about sponsored thugs hijacking protests to trigger violence and destruction of public properties.

Mr Tinubu, in a meeting with traditional rulers led by the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, at the State House on Thursday, said the plight of citizens remains a deep concern, and will receive more attention. 

“Nigeria is on the path of recovery. You have heard it from the Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun. We are not afraid of protests,” Mr Tinubu said.

The president, however, said he is concerned about the damage that could follow protests, citing how historic #Endsars protest was disrupted by state sponsored thugs in 2020. 

“Our concern is the ordinary people, and the damages that will be done. Till today, I cannot forget the brand new 60 and 100 seater buses, down there in Lagos that were burnt down, and we are now complaining of transportation. That is the problem,” Mr Tinubu said, thanking the traditional rulers “for talking to the citizens” to shelve the August nationwide protests over economic hardships.

In a bid to discourage Nigerians from partaking in the protest, Mr Tinubu has engaged traditional rulers and clerics to dissuade citizens from protesting. 

Mr Tinubu’s government distributed trucks of rice to states to ameliorate hunger and increased the minimum wage to N70,000 since mobilisation for the nationwide protest began.

Mr Tinubu’s economic policies, including the removal of the fuel subsidy and the decision to float the naira, have led to a surge in petrol prices from N145 to N710 per litre, and the naira has plunged to approximately N1,500 to the dollar.

While economic experts and the International Monetary Fund have praised these measures as courageous reforms, the resultant spike in food prices has triggered calls for protests nationwide.