By Mark Lenu
The topical news in Nigeria since August 1 has been the ongoing nationwide protest against bad governance in Nigeria which has recently been hijacked by anarchists.
The protest has recorded a large turnout of Nigerians who took to major cities across the country to register their dissatisfaction with the economic hardship in the country.
The protest had claimed the lives of some Nigerians and properties worth billions had been looted and destroyed, especially in the northern part of the country. The protesters had been sighted in some states waving the Russian flag which signifies a call for an unconstitutional regime change.
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In Rivers State, the protest would have been very bloody due to the lingering political fight between the sitting Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike who is the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. But certain factors were timely put in place to prevent the protest from degenerating into a theatre of bloody war in the state.
Notable among such facts was the bold and patriotic stance of the Edi-Abali of Kalabari Kingdom, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo Asari not to support the protest. Estimatedly, Alhaji Asari is a leader in the Niger Delta region that has the highest follower of vibrant youths and when he speaks, they listen.
He has repeatedly said he is not part of the nationwide protest, citing his reasons as follows:
(1) That he is not in support of any unconstitutional regime change, urging Nigerians to make their voices heard at the ballot boxes of every electioneering year through the lawful voting process.
(2) He perceived the hand of undemocratic forces in the protest who wanted to throw the country into a state of lawlessness which is not the solution for economic revival.
The Governor of the state also played a role in preventing a bloodbath protest in the state by coming out to address the protesters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The remarks of Fubara showed that he did not deny the fact that there is hunger in the land but that violent protest would only worsen the situation as he urged the protesters to be civil.
