By Abubakar Yunusa Ojima-Ojo
President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians to suspend the #EndBadGovernance protests and embrace dialogue.
During a broadcast on Sunday, the President assured Nigerians that his administration is focused on good governance despite the socio-economic challenges confronting Africa’s most populous nation.
Tinubu expressed pain over the loss of lives and properties in some states during the nationwide protests, saying the destruction of public and private assets sets the nation back “as scarce resources will be again used to restore them”
He also commiserated with the families and relations of those who died in the protests. “We must stop further bloodshed, violence and destruction,” he said.
The President said his administration won’t allow a few politically minded people to tear down the country under the guise of protests.
“As President of this country, I must ensure public order. In line with my constitutional oath to protect the lives and property of every citizen, our government will not stand idly by and allow a few with a clear political agenda to tear this nation apart.
“To those who have taken undue advantage of this situation to threaten any section of this country, be warned: The law will catch up with you. There is no place for ethnic bigotry or such threats in the Nigeria we seek to build,” he said.
‘FG Will Address Your Concerns’
“Fellow Nigerians, I have heard you loud and clear. I understand the pain and frustration that drive these protests, and I want to assure you that our government is committed to listening and addressing the concerns of our citizens.
“But we must not let violence and destruction tear our nation apart. We must work together to build a brighter future, where every Nigerian can live with dignity and prosperity.
“I speak to you today with a heavy heart and a sense of responsibility, aware of the turmoil and violent protests unleashed in some of our states,” he added.
Since the protests started on Thursday, opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Tinubu’s contenders in the last election ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have loudly called on him to address defiant youths who have taken to the streets to express their displeasure over the wobbling economy and the attendant hardship in the country.
Prices of food and basic commodities have gone through the roof in the last months, as Nigerians battle one of the country’s worst inflation rates and economic crises sparked by the government’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of forex windows.
Propagated on social media, the #EndBadGovernance protests against economic hardship planned for 10 days entered its third day on Saturday as resilient youths pushed on, insisting that Tinubu meets their demands.
Some of the protesters’ demands include the restoration of petrol subsidies and the forex regime. They also want the government to address food shortages, unemployment, and the wasteful spending of those in power. Other demands are a reduction of the President’s cabinet and general cost of governance, immediate reforms of the electoral umpire INEC and anti-graft agency EFCC with renewed vigour in the fight against corrupt politicians.
The protests turned awry in Kano, Borno, Yobe, Kaduna, Jigawa, Nasarawa and other states where rampaging hoodlums took advantage of the situation and burned vehicles, and looted warehouses and private stores. Police said seven persons died during incidents around the protests but denied that security agents killed any of the victims.
Till Day 3, policemen were seen dispersing protesters using tear gas, even as civil society organisations condemned the action of the police.
