*Warns against incessant arrests of innocent people
By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has advised the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to arrest the hunger ravaging all parts of the country, instead of arresting innocent protesters and arraigning them in court for treason.
The PDP said that if the administration of President Tinubu takes the bull by the horns and addressed the problem of hunger in the land, there will be no problem.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon Debo Ologunagba stated this while responding to a question on the arrest of the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero by operatives of the Directorate of States Service, DSS, on Monday in Abuja.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary said that there is need for caution of the part of the government on the way it is arresting people.
According to Ologunagba, “We know those who sponsored the protest (the last protest tagged #Endbadgovernance). The sponsor is hunger. Let the President and his people arrest hunger in the land.
“There is need for caution. There was a protest in this country, the government did not do anything.
“You arrested some people and said they were terrorists and you charged them to court.
“You said some people were the sponsors of the protest. We know those who sponsored the protest, the sponsor is hunger, let the President and his people arrest hunger and there will be no problem.
“Let your polices that are draconian, that are bringing people to their knees, be changed. This is the season schools are resuming, we know what all of us are going through, for those who have pupils in schools.
“You wake up one morning, you cannot plan because the government is so insensitive and irresponsible. Without consulting the National Assembly, you came up with policies that are destroying the plans of the people, destroying the opportunity to have what we call pursuit of happiness.
“Why do government exist? It is for the welfare and security of the people. Now, we don’t have welfare, no security. This (arrest of the President of the NLC) is a breaking story. Let us see, hear what it is. We will find out.
“Let the government face the welfare challenges of this country, then there will be no protest.
“Nobody really cares who the president of this country is, if the government provides us with the opportunity to pursue our own goals and aspirations. “So we will, as a party, find out, since this is breaking and take it from there. Indeed if government is about welfare and the people are saying we are dieing, it is sane to review those policies.
“Then you must show leadership by saying okay, you are telling me to tighten my belt and you are buying new belt. “This is a country that cannot pay N70,000 ,according to them, minimum wage. But this is a country that can buy 150 Million Dollars plane. The President is trying to test how good it is and he is flying everywhere.
“This is a country where you spend N21 billion to renovate the Vice President’s House. This is a country where they have no money according to them, but the President will buy a yacht. There is no waterway in Abuja. So, for the President to get to the Yatch, he will have to travel one hour to Lagos.
“The Yacht has a 24 Hours security protection. The President should know that when he is in a position, it is in our interest that he succeeds. Because the success of the president is our success. “Nobody wishes him failure, but if his decisions are such that it is causing Nigerians pain, we will speak.
“We know the reality of Nigeria, with its constraints of tribe and ethnicity, but it pales into insignificance with the reality of Nigerians. People are dying every day and you know that”, the PDP National Publicity Secretary declared.