Former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar and the United Nations (UN) have expressed differing opinions on the planned protest against economic hardship in Nigeria. Atiku, in a post on his social media platform, urged the Federal Government to allow Nigerians to exercise their constitutional rights to organize a peaceful protest. He criticized the government' s attempt to suppress the protesters, describing it as an " exercise in futility. "

On the other hand, the UN Department of Safety and Security warned that the planned protests might be hijacked by groups with ulterior motives. In a threat and risk assessment finding, the UN expressed concerns about the possibility of violence, citing past instances where similar protests in Nigeria escalated.

Atiku argued that the government' s incompetence has caused widespread suffering, affecting citizens, including supporters of the ruling party and those of President Bola Tinubu. He emphasized that any attempt to suppress the rights of Nigerians to protest was not only unconstitutional but a direct affront on democracy.

The UN, however, cautioned that confrontations between groups supporting the government and those disagreeing with its policies could not be ruled out from the end of July towards August 10- 15. The threat assessment also showed that large- scale disruptions to normal economic and social activities cannot be discounted.