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Ahmad Lawan, Senate President, has asked Nigerian youths protesting against police brutality and sundry issues of bad governance to shelve their protest and allow the Federal Government enough time implement their demands.
Speaking to newsmen after visiting President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Sunday, Lawan said since the government has accepted their demands, it should be given sufficient time to implement them.
The Senate President who was accompanied by Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, said the continued demonstration was taking its toll on the economy.
“Very critical to mention at this point is that since the protests have taken place, and the issues have been accepted, the time has come for the protests to stop, because government needs to have sufficient time, a clement environment to implement the demands of the protesters,” he said.
“We also need to have our economy to continue to go on. When you try to stop everybody from engaging in their businesses, closing the roads to markets and other economic places, we distract the economy of the country, and that is not the best way to go.
“If the issues had not been accepted, then there would have been genuine reasons to continue with the demonstrations. But since the issues have been accepted, we should give government time to implement the issues.
“Therefore, I am taking this opportunity to appeal to our youth who are protesting, that the protests have already yielded the desired result.
“First of all, they said ‘end SARS’ — that was the beginning. SARS was ended, not by the IGP; SARS was ended by the president. President Muhammadu Buhari made a statement — a presidential statement, and that will be the first time that any president will say ‘end SARS’. And SARS has ended. The other issues followed.”
MERIDIAN SPY reported earlier Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ex-Lagos governor, similarly appealed to the protesters to halt their demonstration and allow government meet their demands.
The protesters have refused to back down as they continue to press home their demands for reforms of the police and good governance.