A chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), Chief Yohanna Margif, has decried the viral video of some young Nigerians hoisting Russia’s national flag during the ongoing national protests in the country, saying it was disrespectful to Nigeria’s sovereignty.
Margif expressed his thoughts in an interview in Abuja on Tuesday, 6 August, 2024.
He described the development as worrisome, treasonable, and indicative of ignorance on the part of the protesters.
The LP chieftain lauded President Bola Tinubu’s swift action when he directed the nation’s security chiefs to promptly crackdown on the culprits and bring them to book.
“Firstly, I commend President Bola Tinubu for his bold step when he swiftly directed the nation’s security officials to apprehend the culprits and bring them to book.
“A protest situation whereby foreign flags are flown within the sovereignty of Nigeria by some aggrieved Nigerians, no matter their grievances, is disturbing, worrisome, treasonable, and unacceptable.
“This behaviour has the potential to worsen an already bad situation, which has culminated in the unfortunate loss of lives and properties; so we must acknowledge and support the president’s efforts,” he said.
The politician noted that, apart from the treasonable actions of some individuals, others were exploiting the protests to wantonly loot and destroy properties, which were all at the nation’s peril.
Margif said that the recent national broadcast by President Tinubu, which disclosed the disbursement of N570 billion to the 36 state governments in the country called for proper accountability on the part of state governors.
He said that, given this development, and against the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on local government autonomy, it was clear that the state governors must be held responsible for the management of the funds.
“I urge Nigerians to redirect their focus from the national hunger protests to state-level protests.
“Let us commend the President for all his efforts and offer our support as he works towards achieving the New Hope Agenda.
“Together we can build a better Nigeria of our collective dreams,” he said.
NAN recalls that the President had on Monday directed security agencies to crack down on individuals who were seen flying the Russian flag in the country during the protests.
The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, who briefed State House correspondents after the National Security Council meeting, said the President had given them the marching order after they briefed him on the protests.
