Details of FG emergency meeting over planned nationwide protest emerge

The details of an emergency meeting among Federal Government officials over the planned nationwide protest has emerged.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who spoke after the meeting on Wednesday in Abuja said the Federal Government is not sleeping on duty, and begged for more time from Nigerians.

Describing the planned protests as a “family matter”, the government said all issues would be resolved in a way to ensure the peace and stability of the country.

In a brief interview after the closed-door meeting, Idris said; “We came together to discuss. You can see that this is not happening at the Council Chambers.

“It’s happening at the office of the SGF and many of the ministers are here.

“We have discussed issues of national interest and all of us are working for Nigeria. We hope and believe that Nigeria is going to be great again.

“No one is going to sleep. Those who are agitating and asking for protests are Nigerians.

“They are our brothers, they are our sisters. They are all Nigerians and those in positions of authority; the ministers, the President, everybody, we are all Nigerians too.

“So, this is a family matter. This is a Nigerian family issue and all of us are looking at this issue very well and we hope that peace will prevail at the end of the day.”

Asked whether the government has been engaging with the stakeholders and organizers of the planned protest, Idris said engagement has always been an ongoing thing.

“This is not a peculiar situation. Engagement has been ongoing. The President has met severally with all key stakeholders.

“I have also been meeting with stakeholders, other government functionaries have also been meeting with other key stakeholders.

“Engagement is going to continue, and in the interest of Nigeria, we will continue to engage. We know this is the only country that all of us have and at the end of the day, Nigeria is going to be better for all of us for it,” he stated.