Knocks, Commendations Trail Tinubu’s Broadcast over Hardship Protests
* IBB: Democracy has come to stay in Nigeria, we must do everything to safeguard it
*Soyinka warns security on protests’ handling
*Diri, Edo commend peaceful protests, Mbah, Umahi, Uzodinma salute South-east for opting out
*Atiku says president’s speech is hollow, fails to address basis for agitations
*Ezekwesili, Ozekhome, Odinkalu, Peterside, PDP, HURIWA, others fault speech
*Ohanaeze asks president to take urgent steps
*Another protest hits Kano, despite 24-hour curfew, AI demands probe into killings
*Protests end in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu opens new engagement channel with youths
Chuks Okocha, Alex Enumah, Kasim Sumaina, Ikechukwu Aleke in Abuja, Hammed Shittu in Ilorin, Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano, Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa, Francis Sardauna in Katsina and Laleye Dipo in Minna
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Sunday morning broadcast in the wake of the ongoing nationwide hardship protests has attracted reactions, both negative and positive, from Nigerians, but with many dismissing it as empty and largely evasive.
The protests, which began August 1, and billed to last for 10 days, have resulted in violence, in some parts of the country, and loss of lives.
However, former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, struck a patriotic note yesterday, when he said the nation’s democracy had come to stay and everyone must do everything possible to safeguard it.
But Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, called on the security agents to be tactical in the handling of the protests to avoid fatalities.
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, and Edo State Government commended the peaceful protests in their states, even though they reiterated preference for dialogue as the best option for addressing issues.
From the South-east, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, commended the people of the zone for shunning the protests.
On his part, Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, advised protester-looters to voluntarily return all stolen goods to their rightful owners.
Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) applauded Tinubu for the address, while urging protesters and organisers to suspend further protests and embrace dialogue.
But taking a swipe at the president’s broadcast, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar faulted the address, describing it as hollow and failing to address the hardship and poverty among Nigerians, which triggered the protests.
Siding with its 2023 presidential candidate, the leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) contended that the president’s speech confirmed the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration’s insensitivity towards Nigerians and the precarious situation in the country.
Similarly, former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili; human rights activist and lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome; renowned activist, Professor Chidi Odinkalu; Mr. Atedo Peterside; and Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) condemned the president’s speech for failing to address the real issues.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo urged Tinubu to find ways to resolve some of the demands of the protesters in order to bring an end to the demonstrations.
Meanwhile, some pockets of protesters took to the streets on Friday and yesterday in Kano State, to further demonstrate against hunger and hardship in the country, despite the dusk to dawn curfew imposed on the state.
Kano was one of the states where the protests took a violent turn, leading to the deaths and injuries among protesters.
Amnesty International called on Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State to set up an independent judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the killing of at least 10 protesters at Kurna and Kofar Nassarawa, in the state.
However, Babangida, who conceded that the country currently faced challenges, said, “We will eventually overcome these challenges and come out stronger more progressive nation.”
In a statement from his media office, signed by Alhaji Mahmood Abdullahi, Babangida reacted to a report that he thumbed down the country’s democracy and democratic practice.
The statement said Babangida believed, “The solution to our (Nigeria) problems, as he had said previously, is ‘more’ democracy, not less.
“General Babangida truly believes that the era of military intervention in Nigeria’s politics is long gone and he has said how proud he is that the Nigerian military has stood firmly behind multiple democratic governments in this country since 1999, thus, giving us the longest run of civilian administration since independence.”
Reacting to the former military president’s alleged rejection of democracy, the statement said, “Our attention has been drawn to a post on a parody account on X, formerly known as twitter, which carries the handle, @General_Ibbro, in which former President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR, was supposed to have endorsed the virtues of military rule over democratic governance.
“This dubious account carries our principal’s picture and name, and the coat of arms of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for added effect, but it does not belong to him, nor does the former president sanction any post appearing there.
“In the past, and more famously during the presidential election, last year, it posted a blatant falsehood that the former president had endorsed a particular presidential candidate and his party, thereby causing public confusion and some embarrassment to the elder statesman.
“We have just learnt that it has posted a similarly fake statement where the former president was supposed to have said that, ‘Nigeria has the best years under military, democracy made things worst (sic) – IBB.’
“We want to state, unequivocally, that neither the twitter or X account, which is essentially a parody or pretend account, nor the statement made therein, ever belonged to the retired General.
“For the avoidance of doubt, General Babangida (rtd) believes that Nigeria’s democracy is resilient and has come to stay, and that we must do everything we can to safeguard the process.
“As a nation, we are currently facing a number of challenges, but the former president has always expressed the view that we will eventually overcome these challenges and come out a stronger, more progressive nation.
The statement added, “The user of this unfortunate parody account, which we gather was traditionally supposed to be an account that imitates or at least mirror the sentiments of the original twitter or X account that it copies, has serially chosen to use the account to undermine democracy and spread stories capable of causing animosity.
“Sadly, there seems very little we can do to make the overseers of X or twitter to remove or sanction this tiresome account, so we are again obliged to advise the general public to ignore any post from this account that purportedly claims to represent my opinion.
“In future, we sincerely hope that our media practitioners and social media users will be more discerning and make the necessary efforts to get confirmation before sharing messages attributed to former President Babangida on X on any social media platform.”
Soyinka: Security Must Handle Protests with Tact
Soyinka called on the security agents to be tactical in the handling of the protests to avoid fatalities.
Soyinka made the call in a statement yesterday, while reacting to Tinubu’s address to the nation.
The global literature icon particularly cautioned against unprofessional conduct that could hurt protesters “who are merely asking for bread”.
According to him, a hard approach to the protests could lead to “more desperate upheavals. Even tear gas remains questionable in most circumstances; using it is certainly an abuse in situations of clearly peaceful protest”.
He added, “Hunger marches constitute a universal S.O.S, not peculiar to the Nigerian nation. They belong, indeed, in a class of their own, never mind the collateral claims emblazoned on posters.
“They serve as summons to governance that a breaking point has been reached and, thus, a testing ground for governance awareness of public desperation.”
Soyinka said the tragic response to the hunger marches in parts of the country constituted a retrogression that took the country backward.
He said, “It took us even further back than the deadly culmination of the watershed ‘ENDSARS’ protests.
“It evokes pre-independence – that is, colonial – acts of disdain, a passage that induced the late stage pioneer Hubert Ogunde’s folk opera ‘Bread and Bullets’, earning that nationalist serial persecution and proscription by the colonial government.”
He urged that the security agencies should explore alternative models for security intervention, and added that time was long overdue to abandon, permanently, the “anachronistic resort to lethal means”.
Diri: Dialogue, Not Protest is Our Best Bet
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, said the state remained largely peaceful and secure because of the resolve of Bayelsans, particularly the youth, to key into the peaceful disposition of his administration.
While reiterating that protest was the constitutional right of every citizen, he applauded people of the state for maintaining the peace, law and order, saying no meaningful development can take place in an atmosphere of rancour and violence.
Diri said, in the statement, “Before August 1, I engaged with the youths, religious bodies and other stakeholders and maintained that dialogue was the best approach because we envisaged that the protest could be hijacked by persons that do not mean well for our state.
“From day one of the #endbadgovernance protest till today, there has been no real protest in the state. I thank our elders, parents, religious leaders and our productive youths of Bayelsa for listening to the voice of reason and for sustaining the peace that we all are enjoying. The protest in Bayelsa is dead.
“The number one agenda of our administration is peace. There was too much of hatred in the polity. When we came on board, we first of all set out to unite our people. Today, I am happy to announce that Bayelsans are united more than ever before.
“There is peace in the political terrain of Bayelsa because leaders of the two major political parties can eat together today. We also have some of them as members of my executive council.”
Edo Govt Commends Protesters’ Peaceful Conduct
Edo State Government commended #EndBadGovernance protesters on their peaceful conduct and for carrying themselves responsibly.
The government stated, “In the last four days, the protesters have shown to be law-abiding, bonding with men of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other security agencies, who were on hand to ensure that law and order is maintained during the demonstrations.
“However, we will like to sound a note of warning to hoodlums and criminals, who would want to take advantage of the protest to cause mayhem that security forces have been mandated to apprehend and arrest anyone caught disrupting public peace or perpetrating crime of any kind.
“We have received information that some persons have taken to blocking major roads, obstructing vehicular traffic and extorting motorists. Security persons have been mandated to round up all those involved in such criminal activities, as they would be made to face the full weight of the law.
“Once again, we enjoin law-abiding members of the public to go about their lawful businesses without fear, as government would continue to work to ensure the growth and progress in the state.”
Mbah, Umahi, Uzodinma Salute South-east
Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, and Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, commended the South-east zone for heeding the call not to join in the August nationwide protests.
Both leaders spoke yesterday during an inspection tour of road projects executed by the federal government and the Enugu State government on the Enugu-Onitsha, Enugu-Abakaliki, and Enugu-Port Harcourt expressways.
Speaking to newsmen, Mbah and Umahi said the people of the region had by shunning the protests in the South-east and beyond prevented needless loss of Igbo lives, businesses, and property, while also showing good faith to the Tinubu administration.
Mbah stated, “I also want to take the opportunity to commend our people greatly for heeding our call to shun the protests and go about their businesses. We commend them highly because they understand the value of hard-work.
“Sometimes, you may not be able to appreciate the effect of government policies immediately, but I tell you that some of these policies are well-intentioned. With time, if we can just exercise a little more patience with the federal government, we are going to begin to see the values of these reforms.
“We want to continue to call on our people to go about their businesses and know that if they destroy our assets, we are still going to use the wealth of our common patrimony to fix those assets. So, we must remain focused and continue to do our work.”
In a similar vein, Umahi said the people of region and the Igbo community all over Nigeria had made a loud statement by not protesting.
H stated, “We are not going to protest. We want proper integration in the affairs of this country. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mr President, started it by giving an Igbo man the Minister of Works, appointing an Igbo Man as a service chief, among others.
“We have been excluded from governance and development in the past. But now, you can see infrastructure developments in South-east. So, why should we protest against a man, who has given to us what was never given to us before?
“I thank Governor Mbah very much for showing leadership not only in development strides, but also when it mattered most. I appreciate other governors and other states that did not protest.”
Uzodimma, on his part, advocated constant dialogue by the government with relevant stakeholders as a means of averting any future disenchantment or protests.
He said if the organisers and participants of the protests were fully engaged and informed of the gains of the economic reforms by Tinubu, there would not have been any need for the protests.
Uzodimma, who spoke with Arise Television, blamed a lack of information on the real cause of the temporary economic hardship and efforts being made to address them as the main reasons the protests took place.
He said, “I sincerely believe that there was no need for the protests. If Nigerians were better informed of the efforts made by the president to address the issues they were protesting, they would have stayed home.”
The governor stated that it was not just the duty of the president to offer such an explanation but all officials of the government at all tiers.
Ge explained, “We have the vice president, we have the senate president, we have 360 House of Representatives members, who should have their constituency offices and attract constituency projects, and we have 109 senators and governors and commissioners, who collectively should offer explanation to Nigerians on what is happening in government.”
According to Uzodimma, such a dialogue with Nigerians would help clear confusion and suspicion as well as engender trust in government.
He said given the cultures and traditions of Nigeriams, there were means of exhaustively addressing grievances before they snowballed into violence and protests.
The governor said all these tiers of government should activate regular communication between them and ordinary Nigerians on what the federal government was doing in terms of reviving the economy and ameliorating hardships.
Sanusi to Looters: Return Stolen Goods to Owners
Barely 24 hours after some hoodlums looted public and private properties during Thursday’s protest, Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, advised looters to voluntarily return all stolen goods to the rightful owners.
Sanusi made the call at a press conference in his palace on Friday. He urged parents, guardians, religious and community leaders to compel those who took part in the looting of the properties.
He stated, “When people steal goods they always find a buyer. Let us try and refuse to buy stolen goods and, instead, encourage those young men and women to return those goods to their owners.
“Today is a sad day for the people of Kano as we reflect over the events of yesterday. The violence of yesterday was what scholars and leaders kept warning against the possibility that miscreants and agents of destruction would hijack peaceful demonstrations and use that opportunity to cause mayhem, which led to loss of lives and destruction of properties and injuries to countless people.
“As we said during the stakeholders meeting, any violence in Kano only hurts Kano, it hurts innocent people. The young people, who died are our children, the properties that were burnt and stolen belong to the people of Kano.
“We have set ourselves back. The printing press that was burnt will have to be rebuilt, the machines will have to be bought and these are funds that could have gone into youth empowerment, into poverty alleviation, into education, healthcare and nutrition and addressing the very problems that we are protesting against.”
CISLAC Commends Tinubu’s Call for Dialogue
Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Sunday, applauded Tinubu for his recent address, urging protesters and organisers to suspend further protests and embrace dialogue.
In a statement by Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the organisation acknowledged the president’s recognition of the grievances driving the protests and his commitment to listening to and addressing citizens’ concerns.
Tinubu had emphasised the need for unity and collective effort in reshaping the country’s future, by calling on all Nigerians, irrespective of age, political affiliation, tribe, or religion, to work together for a better Nigeria.
Rafsanjani hinted that CISLAC stood firmly with the demands for justice and reform within the administrative justice system and improved governance, as this would ensure a just and prosperous nation where peace, freedom, and meaningful livelihoods were enjoyed under a transparent and accountable government.
Atiku: Tinubu’s Speech is Hollow
Atiku faulted the broadcast by Tinubu, describing it as hollow, and failing to address the hardship and poverty among Nigerians.
In a statement by his media aide, Paul Ibe, the former vice president said, “President Bola Tinubu’s broadcast this morning, intended to quell the fervour of public protests against his administration’s poor governance, utterly misses the mark.
“This address lacks credibility and fails to offer any immediate, tangible solutions to the Nigerian people. Given the extensive publicity surrounding the protests and the threats issued by government officials against demonstrators, one would have expected President Tinubu to present ground-breaking reforms, particularly those aimed at reducing the exorbitant costs of governance.
“But, alas, no such announcements were made. The president ignored the protesters’ demands, such as suspending the purchase of aircraft for the president, downsizing his bloated cabinet, or even eliminating the costly and burdensome office of the First Lady, who has been indulging in extravagant trips at the nation’s expense.
“In his lacklustre recorded speech, President Tinubu offered a superficial account of his so-called reforms, revealing his own tenuous grasp of policy as he failed to convince his audience. While the president has spoken, it is unfortunate that his words lack substance and respect for the protesters’ sentiments, leaving Nigerians with little faith in his reform agenda – if one exists at all.”
Atike added, “We urge the president and his team to own up to their failures over the past 14 months and abandon the absurd theory that the protests are orchestrated by the opposition. This administration has failed on all fronts, even in the simple task of keeping a presidential speech confidential.
“Typically, presidential addresses are shared under embargo with media houses. However, the premature leak of this speech, allowing Nigerians to read along with the president in real-time, starkly illustrates the media, nay Nigerians, dwindling confidence in this administration.
“The opposition did not create the economic quagmire we find ourselves in; this disaster is solely the result of the Tinubu administration’s trial-and-error policies. It is high time they stopped the blame game and faced the reality of their failures.”
PDP: Tinubu’s Speech Diversionary, Failed to Address Issues
PDP said the speech by Tinubu confirmed the APC administration’s insensitivity towards Nigerians and the very precarious situation in the country.
A statement by National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said, “Our party is appalled that despite the fact that it took President Tinubu the prodding of the PDP to speak to the nation, it is distressing that the speech failed to offer any concrete measure to address the excruciating hardship in the country.
“Mr. President’s speech failed to respond to the demand by the citizens for immediate measures to reduce the price of petroleum products, halt the fall of the naira and urgent intervention in the provision of food items to starving Nigerians.
“It is equally shocking that the speech did not order an investigation into the brutal killing of unarmed Nigerians by certain unscrupulous operatives of the APC-controlled security agencies, while demanding good governance, protection, security and welfare, which are the primary purpose of government.”
PDP said the speech dwelt on APC’s counter-productive action of disregarding the feelings and pains of the people by focusing on self-praise, claims of imaginary achievements, and empty projections in the face of apparent and obvious failure of APC in every aspect of governance.
The PDP spokesman stated, “Such only reinforces public apprehension that the APC administration is uncaring and impervious to the suffering and pains of millions of Nigerians, particularly the youths whose dreams, hope and aspiration are being dashed by the APC.
“It is clear that the APC administration is overwhelmed and has no answers to the myriads of problems occasioned by its anti-people policies that are suffocating life in the country.”
Ezekwesili: Tinubu’s Speech Reads Like Manifesto
Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, taking a swipe at the president’s broadcast, said, “Your speech reads like a page from your party manifesto and terribly failed to connect to what our citizens on the streets are angry and protesting about.
“Your speech is quite a monumental missed opportunity to placate citizens with sound answers and outline of convincing evidence-based actions that you and your @NigeriaGov will immediately take to address the priority #BadGovernance concerns.
“Your speech was sadly again written out of a mind-set that is focused on ‘getting back at our enemies’. Imaginary enemies at that! No true leader has the luxury of having ‘enemies’ among their citizens. Not at all. A public leader becomes the leader of ALL with a mind that does not think of any as their enemies.
“This is why it is ever unfortunate to see Nigerian public ‘leaders’ talk and behave like losers on matters of public governance where they are expected to rally their ALL citizens behind the common purpose of nation building.
“It is nauseating to observe this recurrent innate unwillingness of Nigerian public leaders to admit responsibility for the demands of the same public leadership that they kill and maim citizens to assume.”
Ozekhome, Odinkalu, Peterside, Others Fault Speech
Senior lawyers, right activists, and eminent Nigerians faulted Tinubu’s broadcast in response to the nationwide protest.
Professor Mike Ozekhome, SAN, said the president’s speech, “With all respect, appears vacuous, drudgery and full of a litany of government’s alleged interventions, but being completely devoid of any concrete answers to the many itemised demands by the traumatised youthful protesters.”
The senior lawyer observed that the president erroneously, as always, picked on imaginary opposition or political opponents, who allegedly want to derail Nigeria.
Ozekhome stated, “No sir. These are not sponsored protests. They are genuine outpouring of grief, frustration, anger, hunger, melancholy, hopelessness, haplessness and joblessness by the ignored and denied Nigerian youths who appear not to have a tomorrow since their yesterday and today have already ended been mindlessly stolen by rapacious elites and state captors who control levers of power at different levels.”
Commending the president for showing empathy with the suffering of the people, Ozekhome lamented that in terms of measurable panacea and solutions to assuage bruised egos and dashed hopes, or placate angry and protesting Nigerians who are daily suffering and groaning in the midst of government inertia, wastes, “he scores miserably low”.
Former head of the National Human Rights Commission, Professor Chidi Odinkalu, lamented that the president’s speech “is a dreadful missed opportunity”.
Odinkalu said, although, the president commiserated with families of those who died or were killed, the government, in showing that it cared, should set up an “inquest into every killing and direct accountability on the part of whoever – protester or security agent – shown to have been involved”.
On the issue of subsidy removal, the rights activist said regard Tinubu
