Niger Gov Bago, youths promise resist August protest

Governor to crash food prices by 90 percent

By Samuel Ogunsona

The Niger state Governor, Umar Bago and youth, faith-based groups in the Mid-Northern state have said Niger state youths will not participate in the nationwide planned protest.

Bago also promised to crash food prices by 90 percent in the next few days. He ordered the release of grains kept since the dry season era saying the move would lead to sudden crash on the prices of food essentials.

He spoke after an extensive consultative meeting with stakeholders drawn from across the State

The 10-day protest is scheduled for August 1 and billed to end on August 10.

Nigerians had vowed to protest against bad governance which the authority said was a plot to cause regime change.

Youths in Niger State said they would not be part of the protest and would do everything possible to halt a descend into violence.

The youth leaders at the summit attended by thousands of people publicly announced they would not be part of the protest.

The organisers of the planned protest through various social media handles raise the dangers of economic hardship, pervasive hunger and a bleeding characterised by misery and lack of access to essentials of life. Inflation has reached an all time high while prices of foodstuff continue to soar.

Umar Bago said his Government, however, would not allow any act of violence in the state.
He spoke on Thursday during a town hall meeting in Minna, the state Capital.

He said “You can start demonstrations but you cannot end demonstrations. To youths who are agitating for this protest, let us end these agitations, let us communicate and dialogue on the best way forward.”

He called on the youths not to let anyone use them against the state.

He said, “In Niger state, we don’t have any youth organization that wants to do demonstrations. If they are around, let me know.” No one raise up hands.

Emboldened, he said “Our youths are obedient. They are law abiding, they are respectful, we understand where we are coming from. We will not allow anyone to use us in our tranquility to cause problems for this country.”

He said during the dry season, people could not believe Niger could farm.

“We had so much food in our reserve and as from today, I will release grains from our reserve.”

Bago promised to release thousands of metric tones of food, to crash food prices by half.

“I will release 90,000 metric tonnes of food and we are going to slash by 50 percent of any food, any grain. By the grace of God, in the next two months, we are crashing the price of food by 90 percent. For this food, even civil servants, you can take a bag of corn, rice , millet, guinea corn, beans,” he revealed.