Nationwide Protest: 140 Groups Cancel Mass Action in Rivers After Governor Fubara’s Appeal

<p>A coalition of 140 civil society groups and non-governmental organisations&comma; with thousands of members across the 23 local government areas of Rivers State&comma; has pulled out from the August 1 nationwide protests&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Under the aegis of the Rivers Good Governance Coalition&comma; the group said it came to this conclusion after Governor Siminalayi Fubara&&num;8217&semi;s intervention&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>According to a statement signed by its president&comma; Comrade Nwogu Moses&comma; the coalition said that protest is not the solution as it would potentially lead to more hardship&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>While admitting the challenges facing the country&comma; Moses said the group has resolved to collaborate with President Bola Tinubu and Governor Fubara&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We believe that protest will only lead to more chaos and destruction&comma; rather than solving the problems facing the country&period; We reckon that it is important to give the government a chance to address the issues&comma; rather than taking to the streets&comma;&&num;8221&semi; he said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Furthermore&comma; we are concerned about the safety of our members and the general public&comma; and we do not want to put anyone in harm&&num;8217&semi;s way&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We also believe that there are better ways to address the issues facing the country&comma; such as engaging in constructive dialogue with the government and other stakeholders&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We want to collaborate with the government rather than resorting to protest&period; We are not naive to the fact that there are challenges facing the country&comma; but we believe that protest is not the answer&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The intervention of Governor Siminalayi Fubara changed our mind about the protest&period; He appealed to us to cancel the mass action and instead work with the government to find solutions to the problems facing the country&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We were impressed by his willingness to listen to our concerns and work towards finding solutions&period; Governor Fubara&&num;8217&semi;s intervention showed us that there are still leaders who care about the people and are willing to listen to their concerns&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;He demonstrated that dialogue and engagement are better than protest and confrontation&period; We were also impressed by Governor Fubara&&num;8217&semi;s efforts to address the issues facing Rivers State&period; He has been working hard to improve the lives of the people&comma; and his efforts are beginning to bear fruit&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The coalition&comma; therefore&comma; urged other state governors to listen to the aggrieved Nigerians and seek a solution&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The group also called on all Nigerians to reject these misguided protests&comma; which are not a true representation of the people&&num;8217&semi;s aspirations but rather a deliberate attempt to incite unrest and division&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We believe that dialogue and engagement are better than ignoring the concerns of the people&comma;&&num;8221&semi; Moses stated&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We also urge Nigerians not to protest&comma; but rather to engage in constructive dialogue with the government and other stakeholders&period; We believe that this is the best way to address the issues facing the country&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We are dedicated to working through lawful and democratic channels to bring about positive change&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;