Shun nationwide protest and pray to Allah for divine intervention — Sultan of Sokoto-led group 

The Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has urged Nigerians to jettison the proposed planned nationwide protest against hardship in the country. 

The Islamic group in a statement issued on Friday by its Secretary General, Prof. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, said Nigerians, should instead, pray to Allah for divine intervention. 

According to the statement, “Arising from the recent calls and counter-calls for protest in Nigeria, occasioned by food insecurity, inflation, abject poverty and escalating national security challenges, it becomes very worrying and requires immediate attention. 

Therefore, JNI under the leadership of His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, with all sense of responsibility appeals to the protest conveners, their covert and overt benefactors, as well as other critical stakeholders and the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) to urgently engage in critical and realistic dialogue before the situation degenerate or snowballs into an uncontrollable scenario. 

Nigerians no doubt are passing through difficult challenges, but protest might not be the panacea.

The global landscape is replete with sordid tales of repercussions of protests in Libya, Syria, Iraq, US (Capitol Hill), Ukraine, Tunisia, Sudan, Russia, among others did not yield desired results, rather they rendered most of these countries either ungovernable or partly destroyed.

A glance through the events in Kenya gives some glimpses of what might envelop our dear nation Nigeria, which is struggling to survive the multiple challenges that dot the landscape of the country. Undoubtedly, protest in Nigeria could mar our efforts at addressing these challenges…