The Department of State Service, DSS, has been criticized by Nigerians for urging organised labour not to embark on its planned protest on economic hardship in the country.
Chronicle NG reports that the Service, in a statement on Wednesday, called on the NLC to “shelve its plans” and engage in peaceful negotiations with the Federal Government in the interest of peace.
Furthermore, the Service had enjoined Nigerians not to join the protest over claims “that the service is aware that some elements are planning to use the opportunity of the protest to foment a crisis and, by extension, widespread violence.”
However, the call by the DSS attracted backlash from Nigerians.
In response to the Dss’ statement, a social media influencer known as Omotayo of Lagos argued that the service has no constitutional right to tell people not to join the protest.
“DSS handle is asking Nigerians not to protest about the hardship in the country; please, which constitutional right does the DSS have to ask people not to protest?
“In every normal nation, the police are meant to protect the protesters from coming online to ask people not to protest. Is any law even working in this country at all?” Omotayo asked.
For Unah Chigozie, he lamented that despite the spiralling fall in the value of the naira, the DSS is working assidously to prevent people from protesting.
Chigozie also alleged that the only people capable of disrupting a peaceful protest are the operatives of the service.
“About eight heroes past, no impact. Yet the DSS is asking citizens not to protest, because the only person I see causing violence in a peaceful protest is the DSS.”
For Emeka, he lamented the high cost of living, which he said is affecting students.
Emaka, who took a retrospect of his days as a student, noted that, “During my university days, a bag of rice was less than 8,000 naira.
What we do is have four students contribute N2,000 each and buy one bag to share, which will last us a semester.
“Now that Tinubu and the APC evil government have taken it to over 70k, I wonder how students will cope.”
Alleging that the All Progressive Congress (APC) is evil, Novi Evarest noted that “protest is seen by the DSS as wartime, while kidnapping and banditry are seen as peacetime. APC is evil.”
While Najeeb Bello Oyarese noted that “the DSS refers to the total destruction, collapse, and breakdown of Nigeria by an extremely incompetent and corrupt government as “sundry economic issues,” Williams Efe urged people to join the protest because, “Whenever the DSS say this, just know it’s the best time to come out and protest.”
