On Sunday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu gave what could be termed a ‘state-of-the-nation’ address to Nigerians and especially the nation’s impressionable youths participating in the protest against bad leadership.
The President’s broadcast, which has been long awaited, came on the fourth day of the planned 10-day protest that has the hashtag #EndBadGovernance.
Tinubu, in his address, alluded to a creeping perception that the protesters were being sponsored by political opponents. In the address, the president reeled economic policies and measures taken by his administration to tackle economic problems in Nigeria.
Explaining that the removal of fuel subsidy was as a result of the federal government inability to continually bear the cost, President Tinubu reiterated that his administration’s “Renewed Hope Agenda is geared towards the economic prosperity of Nigeria”.
He said: “We have also embarked on major infrastructure projects across the country. We are working to complete inherited projects critical to our economic prosperity, including roads, bridges, railways, power, and oil and gas developments. Notably, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto-Badagry Highway projects will open up 16 connecting states, creating thousands of jobs and boosting economic output through trade, tourism and cultural integration
While sympathizing with families of those who lost their lives and property in the protest, Tinubu added, “Let us work together to build a brighter future for ourselves and for generations to come. Let us choose hope over fear, unity over division, and progress over stagnation. The economy is recovering; please, don’t shut out its oxygen.”
However, a cross section of Nigerians and other critical stakeholders have berated the president’s address, describing it as short on expectations.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, in a statement issued by his media aide, Paul Ibe, said: “his speech neglects the pressing economic hardships that have besieged Nigerian families since the very beginning of his tenure.
“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 groundbreaking reforms, particularly those aimed at reducing the exorbitant costs of governance.
Former Minister Oby Ezekwesili said President Tinubu’s speech did not address the demands of the protesters. In a post on X, Ezekwesili said the speech “reads like a page from your party manifesto.”
The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, said Tinubu’s recent broadcast to the nation failed to address critical issues that triggered the ongoing national protests.
NatureNews welcomes the president’s address as a timely, high-level response to the raging protest across the country. We also believe the President’s address should have contained specific policies to mitigate the excruciating hardship being experienced by the majority of our people due to wanton corruption and lack of accountability at all levels and arms of government.
We urge the federal government to allow law-abiding citizens to exercise their inalienable rights of peaceful protest in a lawful manner. We, however, reject the attempt by some unscrupulous elements to gaslight innocent citizens into criminal acts of murder and arson as we call security agents to rise to their constitutional responsibility of protecting the nation and its citizens from anarchy.