The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu on Wednesday, urged the people of the southeast to avoid the planned nationwide strike.
This request comes after President Bola Tinubu signed the South East Development Commission bill into law.
The lawmaker asserted that the president has shown his willingness to heal the wounds of the past, as the newly signed bill will tackle ecological problems and other related environmental or developmental challenges in the south-east states, and address infrastructural damages suffered by the zone as a result of the civil war.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja he said, “To my fellow South-Easterners, I implore you not to join the planned looming anti-government protests.
“Instead, let us view the signing of the SEDC bill into law as a testament to the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration’s resolve to heal the wounds of the past, bury the rumours of the “marginalization of the Southeast geopolitical zone,”and renew the hope of the nation towards equitable economic growth and socio-cultural renewal. This is a time for unity and progress, not division and unrest.
“I also implore Nigerians from all walks of life and the entirety of the country to not heed the calls for protest but instead continue to trust in the process.
“The reforms of the current administration will take time but will soon start to suffice, including a reversal of inflation, stabilization of the economy, and the ensuing multiplier effects in a massive employment boom as a result of industrialization, and the outcomes of the work organizations like the SEDC will engineer.”
