As the August 1st Protest gathers momentum, businessman and philanthropist, Chief Emeka Agba, has called for calmness and urged Nigerians to shun the protest, but rather engage the Federal Government through dialogue.

Speaking at a press conference to address national issues, the Founder, Chief Emeka Agba Foundation, said more Nigerians must become active in engaging the government through dialogue rather than protest.

According to him, “I would like to say that the protest should be jettisoned entirely, it should not take place. If that is what is needed to stop the protest, I am not in support of any protest. Not because I am not affected as a Nigerian by the way the government is functioning, or with the high cost of things in Nigeria. I am mostly affected because now and then, I know the effort I’m putting to have electricity in the house and buy water for my children and all that. However, when you talk about protests in the present situation in Nigeria, it’s like somebody whose house is on fire, instead of using water to quench the flame, you went and got a gallon of gasoline and started pouring in there.

“The protest, if it takes place, will double the suffering of Nigerians and Nigerians should stop looking at countries like Kenya, because they think Kenya had a protest. I am a very good friend of people in Kenya, including their President and the opposition party, in fact, the president of Kenya is our in-law, as we speak.

“So protests of any kind right now will destroy things and make people suffer more, because at the end of the day, if the protests take place, it’s still you and I who will pay for what seems to have been lost, or what seems to have been damaged. Even if they borrowed money to fix those things, it is still taxpayers’ money that the government will still come back to fix it and It is still going to add to our suffering.

“So what I think we should do, alternative to the protest, you know, neutral people as we have remained, should no longer remain too neutral, rather the government should expect us to come over to them, to continue to compel or pressure them with the demands of the masses, in a more civilized and more decent manner. The moment we talk about protests, there are so many hoodlums, and jobless people, and hunger is worsening in the country. They will take the advantage to begin to destroy people’s property, and start looting people’s, we’ve seen it here in this country.

He noted that indeed these are not the best of times for the Nigerian people as the masses continue to grapple with worsened economic challenges, hunger, food shortage and security, Climate Change and spares of kidnappings in securities across the country.

‘It’s is sad to note that people are no longer able to afford a square meal not to even talk of three as our hospitals record night rates of deaths even in preventable and treatable sicknesses all over the country’.

Recent Statistics, he disclosed have shown that Nigeria is expected to see about 26.5 million people grappling with high levels of food insecurity with over 8 million children at risk of suffering from acute malnutrition, and 2.6 million could face severe Acute Malnutrition and require critical nutrition treatment.

Chief Emeka Agba Foundation asserted that we must address these issues to move forward as a nation. According to him, we need to reclaim our dignity, support local industries, and ensure our leaders are working in the best interest of Nigeria. We must also scrutinize the role of foreign missions and religious leaders in shaping our national narrative. Together, we can build a stronger, more self-reliant Nigeria.

‘Our leaders should have pride in our nation’s capabilities. They should not be dependent on foreign validation, such as making speeches at Chatham House. True leadership means believing in our potential and leading with confidence and self-respect’

On the minimum wage, he noted that he hopes more States follow the two that are currently paying the N70,000.

“Well, minimum wage, my take on it is that if the other states can follow the two states that have accepted to pay. To me, even the 70,000 as a minimum wage, is a welcome development. It’s better than the previous amount, so, it’s a good step in the right direction, but let’s see how far this can go and I hope other states comply.”