FOLLOWING President Bola Tinubu’s address to the nation amidst ongoing #EndBadGovernance protests, former Vice Presidential candidate Peter Obi has expressed disappointment over Tinubu’s address, noting that it’s disconnected from the harsh realities faced by Nigerians.
In a statement via his X handle, on August 5, Obi acknowledged the President’s ‘belated’ address, which he said might have prevented the loss of lives.
He lamented the lack of empathy towards those injured, arrested, and detained during the protests, citing the approach of security forces as a great concern.
“While I had hoped that, in consoling the families of those who lost their loved ones in the protest, he would also show some empathy towards those who were injured, arrested, and detained due to the overzealous and unprofessional conduct of some security operatives, this was unfortunately not the case. It is the responsibility of the government to identify criminal elements attempting to disrupt the protest through looting and other unlawful behaviours and to protect those genuinely exercising their democratic rights.”
He also noted that he had hoped a more decisive action would see immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible for disrupting the peaceful protest.
Expressing concern over what he described as a lack of awareness or deliberate disregard for public sentiments, Obi called on the President to surround himself with advisers who provide candid assessments of the nation’s challenges.
“The President’s address regrettably appeared disconnected from the harsh realities faced by the people and failed to address critical issues that initially triggered the protest. It either reflects a lack of awareness among his advisers regarding the scale of anger, hunger, and hardship in the country, or a deliberate choice to disregard it. At this point, I strongly advise the President to distance himself from sycophants and surround himself with individuals who will present the unvarnished truth,” he said.
Obi emphasised that while the President’s address focused on the past, the people had been more concerned with present and future challenges.
He said the President should address urgent priorities such as reducing governance costs, combating corruption, tackling the high cost of living, and effectively allocating resources to critical sectors like health, education, and poverty alleviation.
He said persistent corruption and mismanagement of public funds should have been addressed decisively in his press briefing.
“Nigerians do not expect the President to solve the nation’s problems overnight, but we do expect a concerted effort to address the mismanagement of public resources, reduce the high cost of governance, and tackle issues like insecurity, corruption, electricity, agriculture, and productivity to set the country on a path to recovery and growth. By doing so, the President can restore hope and rekindle the people’s faith in our dear country Nigeria.”
The ICIR reports that many Nigerians have trooped to the streets to protest poor governance and economic hardships caused by President Bola Tinubu’s reforms.
The protests have been marred by violence, largely caused by the security operatives in places like Lagos and Abuja, where protesters have been subjected to tear gas and harassment.
In some states, political thugs have hijacked the protest to cause mayhem, attacking demonstrators and looting properties.
With the attacks and looting in some states, generating outrages, President Bola Tinubu in his broadcast on Sunday, August 4, called on the protest organisers to dialogue with the government, and immediately suspend the demonstration.
While condemning the attacks on properties and lives, the President branded the protesters as ‘violent’ noting his “government will not stand idly by and allow a few with a clear political agenda to tear this nation apart.”
Tinubu further stressed that those who had taken advantage of the protest would face the wrath of the law, adding that the security operatives should continue to protect lives and property.
Like Obi, a coalition of civil society organisations has accused the government of escalating violence and unrest in the country.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M