Vice President Kashim Shettima has implored Nigerians to shun the planned nationwide protests scheduled to begin on August 1, 2024, saying it is time for unity and focused development in the country.
According to him, protest has never been a solution for nations to solve their challenges, but rather an avenue for destruction of human lives and properties, even as he called for peace and unity.
In a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications, (Office of the Vice President), Senator Shettima spoke on Saturday while he was the Special Guest of Honour when the Shehu of Borno, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Dr Abubakar Ibn Umar Garba Al Amin El-Kanemi, gave out four of his daughters in marriage at a wedding ceremony in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
The Vice President who personally gave out one of the Shehu’s daughters’ hand in marriage also wished the couples a most blissful marital life.
Appealing to Nigerians to shun the planned protest, he said, “I want to use this opportunity to call on our people to eschew violence. There can never be development without peace; there can never be peace without development. I wish to implore all our youths not to follow the part of anarchy, of destruction.
He said President Tinubu feels the pulse of the nation and remained committed to making the nation’s challenges mostly inherited over the years a thing of the past.
The Vice President implored Nigerians “to keep faith with the Federal Government, adding that in no distant time all of the administration’s efforts at emphatically repositioning the nation as one with the most powerful economy and social welfare for its citizens will become obvious”.
Speaking on the peace that is fully gradually returning to Borno State, the Vice President said, “We have had enough challenges in Borno, in the subregion and the nation as a whole. This is a time for unity, this is a time for focused development. And for the people of Borno, I will ask them to rally round our governor who is working tirelessly to address our developmental deficits and also bring succour to the downtrodden.
“The only way we can show solidarity with the governor is for our people to shy away from dancing to the tune of the bandits and idiots who are fomenting mischief from the comfort of Australia, of Finland and the United States – all the so-called social media influencers.”
Noting that the masterminds of the proposed nationwide protest were operating from outside the shores of the country, the Vice President asked the citizens to draw lessons from what happened in Sudan, Syria and Libya.
“They are not in this country; we need to learn a lot of lessons from what happened in Syria and in Libya. So, what they are agitating for is a road to Khartoum, what they are agitating for is a road to Damascus, what they are clamouring for is a part to Tripoli, and, Insha Allah, the people of Nigeria will not dance to the tune of these anarchists and saboteurs,” he stated.
The VP assured that President Tinubu remains committed to pulling the nation out of the woods, emphasising that the Tinubu administration will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the welfare and lives of Nigerians are improved drastically.
Wishing the new couples a blissful married lives, VP Shettima said, “We wish them peace; we are wishing them marital bliss. May Allah bless all the unions with offspring that will be the eyes of all the Ummah and of the families. And we believe that, Insha Allah, the marriage will be hugely blessed by the Almighty Allah.”
Dignitaries at the wedding Fatiha included Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum; former Deputy Governors of Borno and Adamawa States, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and Crowther Seth; APC Deputy National Chairman (North), Hon. Ali Bukar Dalori; Sen. M.T. Monguno; Sen. Kaka Shehu Lawan; all members of the House of Representatives from Borno Statee, and mbers of the State House of Assembly.
Others include the Secretary to the Borno State Government; party stalwarts; Hon. Mutawalli Kashim Ibrahim Imam; the Shehus of Dikwa and Bama, Emirs of Biu, Shani, Gwoza, Askira, Uba, Damaturu, Fika, Gazargamu, Potiskum, among many others.
