Count us out of protests -Abuja traders, marketers declare

Many traders, marketers and shop owners across Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have have distanced themselves from the planned 10-day nationwide protests, slated to commence on the 1st of August, 2024.
Making this stance known in a chat with newsmen Chairman of All Chairmen and Secretaries of FCT Markets and Plazas, Chief Raphael Okorie, noted that the nationwide protests will disrupt their businesses, hence their reason for boycotting it.
Okorie, who doubles as the National Coordinator of Citizens Network for Peace and Development in Nigeria (CNPDN), revealed that a series of meetings had been held with members of the various market unions in the FCT, as well as security agencies, on how to protect the markets.
He opined that protesters who are often sponsored usually attack businesses, shops, and markets during a mass action, thereby incurring losses for his members.
He however, said arrangements are in top gear to protect their businesses by discussing with security agencies and other private arrangements ahead of the mass action.
He therefore called for understanding and urged FCT residents not to join the mass action, explaining that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should be given more time to address the concerns raised by many aggrieved Nigerians.
According to him: “We understand that prices have gone up significantly. But this is not peculiar to only Nigeria. This is a global trend. I urge our people in the FCT not to join the protests. Instead, they should give the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu more time.
“As an association, we are not leaving anything to chance. We’ve been invited by the various security agencies on how to handle this, and we are openly saying this that we don’t want to be part of the protests. We reject it. Instead, we are asking that leaders of the various groups who want to protest should dialogue with the government.
“Violent protests will never solve problems. Only a dialogue will work, and I call on our members not to join. Instead, we call on them to protect their businesses and remain law-abiding. I believe President Tinubu is working hard to address these concerns.”