The President of the Global Peace Movement International, Dr. Mike Uyi, clarified yesterday that the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, was not responsible for a controversial comment attributed to him.
Dr. Uyi addressed the media in Benin and explained that the statement, “go on and protest while we sit at home and eat,” was actually made by the Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), not Akpabio. Akpabio merely reiterated what the chairman had said.
Dr. Uyi provided context for the statement, recalling his recent visit to the Niger Delta during the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests. He explained that during this visit, the NDDC chairman addressed the local community,
Many of whom had previously received amnesty and training under late President Musa Yar’Adua. The chairman assured the audience that the government would provide a monthly allowance of N50,000 to the youths, and encouraged them to support the government rather than join the protests.
Dr. Uyi noted that the chairman had suggested that those who wanted to protest could do so, while the rest would benefit from the government’s support. He confirmed that Akpabio’s comments were simply a repetition of the chairman’s words.
Despite his clarification, Dr. Uyi made it clear that he supports the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria movement. He believes in the right of the people to express their dissatisfaction with the government and to demand better governance.
However, he strongly condemned the attempts by some individuals to distort the truth and unfairly tarnish the image of the Senate President. In his view, such actions only serve to distract from the real issues at hand and contribute to unnecessary political drama.
