Wike to protesters: Let’s work together… if we lose Abuja, we’ve lost Nigeria

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), says the government is ready to dialogue with the #EndbadGovernance protesters.

The protest against the economic hardship in the country commenced across many states on Thursday, including Abuja, the nation’s capital.

Speaking in Abuja, Wike commended protesters for marching peacefully through the streets of the FCT without causing any violence.

He appealed to the protesters to give President Bola Tinubu some time so that his economic policies could come to fruition.

“I commend the protesters in Abuja who have refused to be violent; and let them continue to be peaceful. Abuja is the centre of unity; Abuja is for everybody. If we lose Abuja, we have lost Nigeria,” the FCT minister said.

“That is why we have always said let us work together. There’s nothing we cannot achieve under the present administration of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu. Give him time, and a lot of things will change.

“We have seen severally that it is better to dialogue; it is better to sit down and iron out issues with the government. I want you to continue with that peace process, and he who makes peace will, at the end of the day, enjoy the dividend of peace.

“I want to commend you and still talk to our people, appeal to them that we are still ready to sit with them and dialogue with them, and iron out the grey areas.”