Stakeholders at a one-day consultative meeting on peace building in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital have unanimously resolved not to participate in the planned nationwide protests on the current economic hardship being experienced in the county.
The meeting which was convened by the Borno state government, also discussed ways to sustain the relative peace in the state.
In a remark, Governor Babagana Zulum said the state has suffered a lot of devastation due to fifteen years of Boko Haram insurgency.
According to him, the conflict had claimed more than 200,000 lives while another 300,000 people could not be accounted for.
The Governor remarked that over the years, the state has suffered a lot of challenges ranging from insurgency to economic dislocation, noting that despite the obstacles, the state has witnessed gradual return of peace and stability.
He emphasized that the proposed mass protest threatens to undermine the hard-earned progress, calling on the stakeholders to consider the consequences of the mass protest.
“While the right to protest is fundamental in a democracy, we must understand the high likelihood of such actions being manipulated by anarchist and enemies of peace. Such protest will bring a lot of setback that we have painstakingly achieved ” Zulum said.
While acknowledged the hardship faced by Nigerians and people of the state in particular, Zulum promised to do everything possible to ameliorate the economic hardship.
Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar ibn Umar Garbai Elkanemi said the traditional institution was not in support of the protest, noting that all the traditional rulers will continue to sensitize their subjects on the dangers of the proposed mass protest.
He called on the federal government to resuscitate the Chad Basin Development Authority, which will not only boost food security but also provide job opportunities to the teeming unemployed youth.
Correspondent Dauda Iliya reports that meeting was attended by heads of security agencies, religious leaders, Borno elders forum, civil society organisations, women and youth groups and Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ.
Cov/Dauda Iliya
