Abubakar Momoh, the Minister of Niger Delta Development, has called on youths in the Niger Delta region to avoid participating in the planned nationwide protest on August 1. He claimed that the promoters of the protest are faceless individuals residing outside Nigeria who aim to destabilize the country.
During a visit to Bera Community in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, Momoh, alongside Environment Minister Balarabe Lawal, addressed the media while commissioning water projects. He emphasized that the protest could lead to significant destruction, citing the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests in Lagos as a cautionary example.
“The people who are planning it, they are faceless. They are not residents of Nigeria. Most of them are outside the country. They want to destroy your country while they are there living in comfort zones,” Momoh stated.
He stressed that the protest would harm the local economy and that the Niger Delta region, unlike Lagos, might struggle to recover from such disturbances. Momoh urged the youths to focus on the ongoing developmental projects in their area and to not be swayed by external influences.
He also appealed to traditional rulers and community leaders to discourage participation in the protest, highlighting the progress made by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HIPREP) as a positive example of government intervention in the region.