During the signing of the new Minimum Wage by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on Monday, Senate President Godswill Akpabio cautioned against protests that aim to destabilize the country, asserting that while citizens have the right to protest, they do not have the right to cause chaos.
Akpabio went on to accuse politicians who were unsuccessful in the recent general elections of orchestrating protests in an attempt to seize power through illicit means.
He expressed his enthusiasm for the amended National Minimum Wage and emphasized his support for Nigerian workers.
“It is a great day for the workers in the country. We are not only doubling the minimum wage, we have added something on top. Initially, it was N30,000, now it is N70,000.
“I want to use this opportunity to call on those who are attempting to foment trouble; that you have a right to protest. It is your fundamental right. It is there in the constitution.
“But you don’t have a right to destabilize the country. The right to protest should not be turned into the right to unleash violence. It’s very clear that people who are behind this are very amorphous, very faceless.
“So what it means is people are preparing to loot and go round and do all sorts of things. Where we are today was not caused by one year’s administration,” Akpabio said.
