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General Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, urges media to limit coverage of #EndBadGovernance protests, stressing they are not election-related. He emphasizes the government's efforts to address economic and security issues and warns against allowing criminal elements to hijack peaceful demonstrations.

General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, has urged the Nigerian media to limit their coverage of the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protests, emphasizing that the demonstrations are "not an election thing." Speaking at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja on Friday, General Musa addressed newsmen, expressing concerns about individuals using the protests for personal publicity.

“For the media, I want to also appeal. I noticed throughout yesterday that all the stations were hooked up for the occasion,” he remarked. “This is not an election thing. Don’t give them that coverage for them to feel; because some of them are looking for moments of being on the screen.”

General Musa assured the public that the situation was under control, noting a significant decrease in protest activities. He highlighted the cooperation of state governors who initially declared a state of emergency but have since called it off to work together for the nation's good.

He further explained that while the protests began peacefully, they were quickly hijacked by criminal elements with malicious intent. “What we saw yesterday was at the beginning some semblance of a very peaceful demonstration, but which was quickly taken over by a bunch of criminals that don’t mean us well,” he said.

The Chief of Defence Staff appealed to Nigerians to recognize the efforts of the federal government, which has been in power for less than a year, in addressing the country's financial and economic challenges. He pointed to ongoing policies aimed at improving the economic and security situations, stating that progress is being made.

General Musa warned that the government would take decisive action against those perpetuating violence and destruction. “We want to tell those who are recalcitrant that we will not watch our country burn. We will take action, and anyone who is caught will be taken to court,” he asserted.

The #EndBadGovernance protests, which began on August 1, are expected to last for 10 days.