President Tinubu Urges Against August 1-10 Protest, Highlights Student Loan Program, Consumer Credit Initiative, and New Minimum Wage...

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged Nigerians not to participate in the planned hardship protest scheduled for August 1–10, 2024, citing the implementation of the student loan program, the creation of the consumer credit initiative, and the new minimum wage of N70,000.

The President made this announcement on Thursday at the State House while hosting a group of Islamic leaders led by Sheikh Bala Lau.

Tinubu asked the organizers of the protests not to turn Nigeria into another Sudan, emphasizing his government's efforts to revamp the social welfare program to target every Nigerian at risk at the local level.

“We are reworking the social welfare scheme to reach the ward level, which is the closest to our people. We are going to ensure that we re-establish connection with the wards, again, so that we can give allowances to the poor and the vulnerable.

“The student loans will pay for school fees. There will be monetary support for the education of our children. The consumer credit will support citizens to buy cars and houses, and they can repay gradually.

“We have increased the minimum wage by more than 100 percent,” he said.

Following an agreement between Tinubu and Nigerian workers on a minimum salary of N70,000, the new Minimum Salary Act was passed by the Nigerian National Assembly on Wednesday.

The federal government began paying out money to 110,000 eligible recipients of its N35 billion student loan program earlier this week.

This development comes several months after the Tinubu administration authorized the N100 billion consumer credit for Nigerians in April.