&w=64&q=75)
The Minister in charge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared readiness to engage hardship and hunger protesters in a peaceful dialogue to end demonstrations.
Wike, the former Rivers State Governor, also said President Bola Tinubu's administration is open to listening to the protesters and prepared to guide them on various governance matters they may be unaware of.
The minister made this known while handing over Staff of Office to four newly coronated Chiefs of Karu, Kwali, Pai, and Yaba in Abuja on Thursday, August 1, 2024.
This comes as the 10-day nationwide protest against hunger, hardship, and bad governance in the country got underway across the federation.
Some Nigerians in different parts of the country, including the FCT trooped out to express their displeasure over the state of affairs.
However, the process recorded some skirmishes in the nation's capital when some protesters attempted to access Eagles Square but were repelled by security agencies who insisted that the court had restricted the venue for demonstration.
Barring the brief confrontation, the protest in the FCT was largely peaceful.
For this reason, Wike commended protesters who refused to be violent and urged them to remain peaceful, noting that it was better to dialogue and iron out issues with the government.
“I want you to continue with that peace process, and he who makes peace, will at the end of the day, enjoy the dividend of peace.
“I want to commend you and urge you to still talk to our people, that we are still ready to talk to them, dialogue with them and iron out the grey areas.
“We’ll also brief them on certain things they do not know so that they will be well informed to make informed decisions,” he said.
He added: “Abuja is the centre of unity; Abuja is for everybody. If we lose Abuja, we have lost Nigeria.
“That is why we have always said, let us work together. There is nothing we can’t achieve under the current administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“Give him time and a lot of things will change.”