A group in Delta State, the Gbaramatu Pressure Group, has rallied support for the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration with an appeal to Nigerians to give the president more time to implement its good economic policies for the overall development of the country.

The rally which held in Warri, Delta State, on Friday, August 1, 2024, had youths bearing placards with inscriptions such as 'Gbaramatu Pressure Group Say No to Protest', 'Delta Ijaw Women Say No to Protest', 'Say No to Protest, Give Mr. President More Time' among others.

Among the organisers present include Chief Fezigha Odu, Chief Moses Bebenimibo, Chief Ebimobowei Oguma, Chief Matthew Nafami, Chief Tony Igere, Hon. Jimoh Keniye, Hon. Andrew Oguma, Hon. Emmanuel Isede, Hon. Lucky Ari, Comr. Festus Nafami, Comr. Bako Igere, Comr. (Mrs.) Ejiro Bobo, and a host of others.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Chief Bebenimibo said their position of not supporting the protest stems from the point of time because one year is not enough to judge the President Tinubu administration's performance.

The group, while insisting for more time to be given to the president and his team, also noted that their prominent sons of Ijaw extraction are working with the government and are doing all they could to ensure that the expectations of the people are met.

In his words, "We are saying 'No' to the protest. The reason why we are saying 'No' is that the President of Bola Tinubu just assumed office for a year now. Nigerians should give him a chance. If the president is given a chance we believe that he will do more better.

"Moreover, our people are working with Mr. President, in the likes of Chief Dr. Dennis Otuaro of the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), the M.D. of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Dr. Samuel Ogbuku; we also have the Minister for State, Petroleum Resources, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri.

"So, we, the Gbaramatu Pressure Group, are saying 'No' to protest. Give them (the government) more time and channel good advice to them. Nigerians should contribute to the system so that it works for all of us," Chief Bebenimibo charged.

Also speaking at the rally ground, a woman leader, Comrade Stella Bobo, said that the Delta Ijaw Women are kicking against the protest because of the instability and the consequences of more hardship that the protest might cause.

“As women covering the six local government areas of Ijaws in Delta State, we are saying 'No' to the protest because we want peace in our nation as the protest can lead to crisis and more economic hardship in diverse areas affecting the people.”

The group called on Nigerians to remain calm and to give peace a chance rather than create opportunities for criminals to exploit in the name of protests, it argued.

It would be recalled that a nationwide protest is bulled to take place across the country from August 1 to 10 in the face of the economic hardship and hunger experienced by citizens who are calling for reforms to ameliorate their plights.

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