Primate Ayodele Warns Against Suppressing August 1 Protest, Urges Government to Address Hardships.

Primate Elijah Ayodele, leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has warned President Bola Tinubu against attempting to suppress the planned August 1 protest against the nation's suffering.

Primate Ayodele claimed that Nigerians have grown extremely resentful of and hostile towards the current administration due to the hardships facing the nation.

In a statement released by his media assistant, Oluwatosin Osho, Ayodele stated that while the demonstration will take place, the government should try to lessen its consequences by lowering the cost of necessities like food, petrol, power, and other supplies.

The pastor added that although he had warned people before voting in another APC government, many did not anticipate the current hardship to reach this degree, which is why it is impacting both the rich and the poor.

He implored the president to ignore those trying to convince him that the nation's economic status is improving.

Ayodele stated, "People are very bitter and they have hatred towards this government. Some states will participate and some will not but definitely there will be protests. The government needs to crash the price of food, electricity, petroleum, find solutions to insecurity, regulate prices, and others to mitigate the effect of the protest.

"People are in serious hardship but the government doesn’t understand, they need to do something fast because it will be more than an ordinary protest. Nigeria doesn’t need this protest now because there is 'protest inside protest' due to pains, hardship, and hunger.

"This government is just assumption-based; it is not a realistic one so it’s difficult to connect with people or understand their pains. The government must adjust, it’s very simple to stop this protest by doing all that is needed. It will be a protest of hunger, pains, and reward.

"The government is affecting the rich and poor, there is hardship everywhere but people didn’t expect this. People who surround the government are deceiving him. They want the government to collapse. The government has not done anything so they should expect the protest, it will stand.

"Nigeria deserves better welfare despite the increment in minimum wage, it’s not an achievement but let this government go after a better achievement that the people will be grateful for."