President Bola Tinubu has appealed to Nigerians to shelve planned protests against bad governance in the country, slated for next month.

The  Information Minister Mohammed Idris, made this appeal while  briefing State House correspondents in Abuja.

Idris said Tinubu urged the organisers of the protest to shelve the plan and await his response to their complaints.

“The issue of the planned protest, Mr President does not see any need for that. He’s asked them to shelve that plan. He has asked them to await the government’s response to all their pleas,” the minister said.

The protest against economic hardship, which is gaining traction on social media, has been scheduled to hold across all states of the Federation as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, starting from August 1.

Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has warned against any violence under the guise of replicating the protest that shook Kenya.

His comment was in response to social media campaigns mobilising for a nationwide protest slated for August 1 due to the economic hardship in the country.

Speaking during a meeting with commissioners of police in Abuja, Egbetokun noted that the country has its fair share of violent protests with dastardly consequences.

Egbetokun advised those planning the protest to jettison the idea, saying the police would not fold their arms watching them engaging in violence.

The police boss said the force’s decision was based on what happened during the last #EndSARS protest nationwide, insisting that the police, particularly has not been relieved of the trauma they passed through.

The IGP said, “Our position is that the proposed violent protests are ill-advised and should be jettisoned fortuitously. We have the responsibility to protect properties and everyone, irrespective of their race, colour, ethnicity, or tribe, who are lawfully embarking on their daily activities.

“We will, therefore, not sit back and fold our arms to watch violent activities unleash violence on our peaceful communities or destroy any of our national critical infrastructure and assets again.”

According to him, the police have run background checks on many of the organisers and sponsors of the protest, it was found out that many of them are not living in Nigeria, and that they are only out to instigate crisis in the country.

He added, “Before concluding this address, it is important I address an issue of urgent national importance which appears to have gained some momentum, particularly on social media, in the past few weeks.

“Some groups of people, self-appointed crusaders and influencers, have been strategising and mobilizing potential protesters to unleash terror in the land under the guise of replicating the recent Kenya protests.

“While the force acknowledges the right to peaceful protest as enshrined in our constitution, we must ensure that these protests do not snowball into violence or disorder.

“As a nation, we have had more than our fair share of violent protests, with rather dastardly consequences. The last #EndSARS protest led to one-tenth destruction of public assets, including police stations, courts, and transport infrastructure, and the loss of several lives.

“Tales of sorrow, tears, and blood followed what was supposedly intended to be a well-intentioned exercise. Rather than lead to any positive outcome, EndSars merely aggravated crime rates and insecurity in several parts of the country.

“Indeed, we are yet to fully recover from the huge economic losses and deep-seated psychological and emotional trauma inflicted upon our people by these protests.”