National Orientation Agency (NOA) has said that it is aware of plans by some people to cause havoc and destabilize the country using the proposed protest to be staged in the country.
The Deputy Director of communication, Paul Odenyi, stated this in a press release made available to newsmen yesterday.
“The identities of many of the brains behind the planned protest have been known, along with their collaborators who are safely residing abroad and the government is taking necessary action to stop their subversive plans,” the statement said.
“The other objective of the protest is to project to the international community, a picture of an unstable country as part of the grand design to intimidate the government and seek patronage of the bigger sponsors of the planned protest”.
“NOA is intensifying efforts in civil intelligence gathering and sensitization of community leaders, parents and youths across the 774 local governments on the need for vigilance and collective preventive actions.”
He emphasised the stance of the Director General of the Agency, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, that the channels of communication to government and its various arms remain open to dialogue saying that the Agency would continue to respects citizens’ rights to protest and associate freely in line with democratic principles.
The protest is scheduled to take place in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
While some of the organizers, particularly from the northern region, remain anonymous, the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, Omoyele Sowore, has been campaigning for the August protest via his social media handles.
