The Zamfara Indigenes Enlightenment Forum (ZIEF), has cautioned its members to shun the planned nationwide protest against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The forum’s spokesperson, Alhaji Malam Tanimu, made the call at a press briefing in Gusau on Saturday.
He said that the forum was a non-profit organisation dedicated to addressing socio-cultural, economic and political issues in Zamfara.
According to him, it draws its membership from academia, professional bodies, youth organisations, students’ unions and civil society organisations, among others.
Tanimu said, “Recently, some Nigerians have been advocating for peaceful protests as a means of expressing dissatisfaction with government economic policies such as the removal of petroleum subsidy, increase in electricity tariffs, and interest rate, among others.”
He further said that the forum admitted the high cost of living has caused untold hardship to Nigerians.
“After exhaustive deliberations and consultations on the planned nationwide protest with various stakeholders, we decided to withdraw from it in the overall interest of Zamfara and Nigeria as a whole,” he explained.
Tanimu said that Section 40 of Nigeria’s constitution (1999, as amended), provides, “every person shall be entitled to free assembly, associate with other persons, and protest peacefully.”
“The forum has observed that the absence of well-defined goals can lead to confusion and disorganization among the protesters.
”This lack of coordination can cause logistical problems, such as difficulties in planning routes, managing crowds, and ensuring the safety of both the protesters and the general public.
“When objectives of the protest are not well defined, there is a greater chance that the protest may devolve into violence.
“Protesters may act on their own agendas or frustrations, leading to unpredictable and potentially dangerous situations, such as looting, destruction of public and private properties.”
He further said that the forum remained committed to advocating positive change and social justice, adding, ”But we believe that these goals must be pursued through well-organised, peaceful and structured means.”