By Johnson Nwankwo
The information commissioner, Enugu State, Mr Aka Eze Aka, says the state government is not against the planned nationwide protests against hunger in Nigeria. He however called for caution to avoid the protests being hijacked to disrupt public peace.
The commissioner spoke in Enugu during a progamme. He said, “We’re not against the hunger protests. It is a fundamental human right of the people so far it doesn’t hurt the other person. Some protests are good, some are bad. President Bola Tinubu benefitted from such protests, but it should not be abused.”
On the impacts of the protests, he said, “Government officials will sit up. The biting situation in Nigeria is biting everybody. In Enugu, we understand that all is not well. However, it has been a journey from something bad to good. Gov Peter Mbah is revamping ailing industries. We believe His Excellency has since the inception of this administration been addressing some of these issues. He brought water to Enugu within 180 days. Roads are becoming common in the state. There is a renewed hope. Nobody believed that streets in Abakpa will be tarred. The state government is engaging over one thousand health workers.”
The commissioner also justified the taxation policies in the state, saying, “The taxes in the state are not new. They have been there, but people have not been paying them. It is a civic responsibility to pay taxes. These taxes were laid down, but not exploited.”
