General News

By Christabel Ejenike

THE broadcast by President Bola Tinubu on Sunday, August 4, 2024 on #EndBadGovernance protests and the state of the nation has attracted mixed reactions from prominent Nigerians and other stakeholders.

Although the message reiterated the government’s commitment to addressing the concerns of Nigerians as well as the achievements of the government and some of the ongoing projects that will benefit millions of Nigerians, but many Nigerians who reacted to the broadcast said that it failed to resonate with Nigerians since it failed to address the concerns of the protesters.

The speech also does not directly address the issue of police brutality, which was a major trigger for the protests. Additionally, the speech emphasizes the need for dialogue and unity, but it does not provide a clear plan for how the government intends to engage with protesters and address their concerns.

Reacting to the broadcast, a popular social media influencer, Ademuwagun Olabode Samuel, popularly known as B.O.D Republic online said that President’s broadcast was “hollow rhetoric”.

He said that the broadcast failed to address the issues raised by the protesters. “It simply reaffirms my long-held belief that we are dealing with a fatalistic political class that deliberately chooses to be deaf and blind to the hardships and aspirations of Nigerians,” he said.

He said that the President was out of touch with the daily struggles of the ordinary Nigerians and questioned the sincerity of President Tinubu’s call for dialogue, stating that the President made no mention of electoral reforms, no reversal of his disastrous and devastating economic policies as well as reducing the excessive size of his federal government.

In his reaction to the broadcast, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka said that it “fell conspicuously short” in addressing the government’s handling of protests. Soyinka expressed concern over the use of live bullets and tear gas against protesters, calling it a “short-changing of civic deserving” that arms security forces with impunity.

Soyinka noted that hunger marches, like the current protests, serve as a summons to governance to address public desperation. He condemned the government’s response as a “retrogression” that takes the nation back to colonial-era acts of disdain.

The renowned writer and activist pointed to the 2022/23 YELLOW VEST movement in France as an example of a more civilized approach to security intervention, where guns were not leveled at protesters even during direct confrontations.

Soyinka urged the government to abandon the use of lethal means against protesters, stating that it is a “prelude to far more desperate upheavals, not excluding revolutions”.

 He called for a lasting transformation in the government’s response to civic society, breaking the chain of lethal responses. Soyinka suggested that protesters adopt the key songs of Hubert Ogunde’s BREAD AND BULLETS to inculcate a sense of shame in the government’s failure to transcend its colonial inheritance.

In the same vein, a former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, criticized President Tinubu’s broadcast on the #EndBadGovernance protests, calling it “terribly underwhelming” and a “monumental missed opportunity” to address the concerns of Nigerians.

Ezekwesili expressed disappointment that the speech failed to connect with the protesters’ demands and instead read like a party manifesto, focused on “getting back at imaginary enemies”.

She emphasized that a true leader should not view citizens as enemies and should prioritize nation-building and rallying all citizens behind a common purpose.

Ezekwesili also condemned the killing and maiming of citizens by law enforcement personnel and called on President Tinubu to instruct the Inspector General of Police to stop the violence and ensure that those responsible are sanctioned.

She urged the President to take responsibility for the demands of public leadership and to prioritize the needs of citizens rather than being self-obsessed rulers.

However, Abdullah Ayofe, in his verified X handle, expressed support for President Tinubu and state that the “entire sensible youths” of the nation are “solidly behind” him. He expressed optimism for the President’s success, saying “You’ll succeed, inshallah” (God willing).

In his reaction, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State expressed his solidarity with the protesters, saying: “We shall work with you to make sure that the demands are attended to. The President is a listening president.”

Fintiri acknowledged the trust built between the government and citizens, which gave him the confidence to move freely and inspect ongoing projects in the state. He thanked the citizens for their show of support and love, which has rekindled his resolve to do more for them.

The governor empathized with the citizens’ pains and struggles, assuring them that as their leaders, they will work tirelessly to address their concerns and restore their hopes.

He emphasized that good governance is the citizens’ right and that his government is committed to delivering it.

Fintiri stated that his government does not need protests to remind them of their responsibility to provide good governance, and they will continue to work towards giving the citizens of Adamawa State the best possible leadership.

Reacting to the broadcast, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, welcomed the President’s call for unity and collective effort in reshaping Nigeria’s future.

He, however, emphasized that CISLAC “stands firmly with the demands for justice and reform within the administrative justice system and improved governance’.

In his statement, Rafsanjani criticized the government’s attempts to link the protests to political agenda, stating that this diverts attention from the pressing reality of deep poverty affecting millions of Nigerians.

According to him, the government should focus on inclusively improving the economy maintaining peace, law, and order, while upholding human rights in line with international conventions to which Nigeria is a signatory.

He stressed that the safety and security of all Nigerians are paramount and urged the federal government to focus on addressing the root causes of the protests such as poverty and poor governance, rather than politicizing the issue.

5th, August, 2024.

C.E.

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