A COALITION of civil society organisations (CSOs) has expressed concerns over President Bola Tinubu administration’s poor response to the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.
The group said the President’s recent address failed to speak to the core demands of Nigerians.
In a statement jointly signed by 13 CSOs, including Yiaga Africa, Media Rights Agenda, and Accountability Lab, on Wednesday, August 7, the coalition noted that the President’s speech on August 4, which was the fourth day of the protests, left many critical issues unaddressed.
It also highlighted that the government must recognise that “sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria, from whom the government, through this Constitution, derives all its powers and authority.”
Citing Section 14, subsection 2(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the coalition said it was imperative for the government to engage citizens from the perspective of their needs within their stated demands.
The ICIR reports that many Nigerians have trooped to the streets to protest poor governance and economic hardships caused by Tinubu’s reforms.
The protests have been marred with violence, largely caused by the security operatives in places like Lagos and Abuja, where protesters have been subjected to tear gas and harassment.
Calling on the protesters to suspend the protests, Tinubu called on the protest organisers to dialogue with the government.
He also boasted of some strides his administration has made in reforming Nigeria’s economy, despite the hardships many citizens continue to face.
The President detailed several economic reforms undertaken by his administration, including the removal of fuel subsidies and the abolition of multiple foreign exchange systems, which he said were essential to halt economic mismanagement and foster sustainable growth.
Meanwhile, the coalition said that except for increased investment in agriculture and student loan disbursements, many of the protesters’ demands were ignored completely.
The demands as noted by the coalition are to protect farms and farmers; human capital development; electoral reform, and constitutional and judicial reforms.
They also stated that the President’s response to demands for reducing the cost of food through importation, subsidised credits, and logistics and storage interventions was partial, only mentioning the release of N570 billion to the 36 states for livelihood support and its plan on agricultural production.
Assessing the response, the coalition queried the specifics of the immediate intervention.
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They also asked the President to specify which ministry the money was domiciled in and how much each state received.
The Coalition further condemned the President’s lack of response to critical demands aimed at addressing corruption, government waste, and the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests.
It said Nigerians had called for a permanent reduction in the running costs of the executive and National Assembly, the implementation of the Oronsaye Report to scrap unnecessary agencies, and a reduction in the size of government, among others which the Tinubu’s government had yet to implement.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M