The Department of State Services (DSS) has urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to cancel its planned nationwide demonstration due to worries about potential disruption and violence.
The NLC announced a two-day mass protest on February 27 and 28, 2024, to address Nigeria’s economic challenges. In a statement published by the DSS’s Director of Communications, Peter Afunanya, the service encouraged the NLC to reconsider its intentions for peace and public order.
Afunanya said the DSS is aware that some elements are planning to use the protest to “foment a crisis and, by extension, widespread violence.” He stated that this would worsen the socio-economic situation across the country. The DSS further called on parties to “pursue dialogue and negotiation rather than engaging in conduct that could heighten tensions,” the statement reads.
Afunanya used JP Clark’s poem, “The Casualties,” as a devastating reminder of the perils of unrest to highlight the potential consequences of intensified hostilities. He also warned against individuals or groups using societal fault lines to destroy peace and togetherness.
“Also, ongoing wars in the global scene are a stark reminder of their catastrophic repercussions on the affected countries’ domestic environments, thus the critical need to protect and maintain our internal stability and unity.
“Those exploiting the fault lines in the country need to have a rethink, as resorting to negativity will endanger our peaceful coexistence with dire consequences,” he added.
The DSS called on parents, political parties, religious and traditional institutions, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders to abstain from violence and show leadership during these trying times, in addition to urging individuals to be vigilant.
“Citizens are advised to be vigilant and not allow fifth columnists and hostile forces or agents to use them to destabilise the peace of the nation,” he advised.
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