THE organisers of the nationwide protest against hardship, former Vice President Abubakar Atiku, Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, and human rights activist, Femi Falana, SAN, have described as the hollow response of President Bola Tinubu to the protest which was on its fourth day yesterday.
Recall that EGALITARIAN VOICE had earlier reports that the protesters had asked the President to address the nation and respond to their 15-point demand if they were to call off the protests.
Not satisfied with the President’s response to the protest, organisers of the protest continued with their action at the Gani Fawehinmi Park at Ojota in Lagos, Osun, and Kano, among other states, yesterday, saying the nationwide broadcast did not address their demands.
The police, however, barred the protesters from holding a procession beyond the designated ground at Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota.
President’s broadcast, complete disaster – Adeyanju
One of the main organizers of the nationwide protest, Mr Deji Adeyanju, described the broadcast by President Tinubu as a complete disaster.
Adeyanju said: “President Tinubu failed to address the demands of protesters, not even one, and it is very disappointing and unfortunate because there is no other way to explain it. ‘’Those people at the Villa cannot make the President see or hear what is going on in the country. The President could not order the arrest of people who killed peaceful protesters in the last couple of days and it is really sad.
“The President’s broadcast to the nation was just a complete disaster, a very disappointing broadcast indeed.
“Our expectations from the broadcast were so many, that he has spoken with political leaders at all levels, politicians are now willing to make sacrifices for the country because on day one of his administration he asked Nigerians to make sacrifices they are failing and refusing to make sacrifices.
“The issue of fuel subsidy, electricity tariff was on the front burner, and many other things we were expecting to hear from the President, unfortunately, none of these things were dealt with.’’
Tinubu’s speech hollow, fails to address hardship among Nigerians — Atiku
Also reacting to the President’s broadcast yesterday, former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, dismissed the broadcast as a hollow speech, devoid of solutions to the hardship facing Nigerians.
Atiku, who spoke through his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, in a statement in Abuja, said the broadcast intended to quell the fervour of public protests against his administration’s poor governance, utterly missed the mark.
He said: “His (Tinubu’s) 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.
ALSO READ: Full Text of President Tinubu Address to Nigerians on Nationwide Protest
“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.
“But alas, no such announcements were made. The President ignored the protesters’ demands, such as suspending the purchase of aircraft for the President, downsizing his bloated cabinet, or even eliminating the costly and burdensome office of the First Lady, who has been indulging in extravagant trips at the nation’s expense.
“In his lacklustre recorded speech, President Tinubu offered a superficial account of his so-called reforms, revealing his own tenuous grasp of policy as he failed to convince his audience.
“While the President has spoken, it is unfortunate that his words lack substance and respect for the protesters’ sentiments, leaving Nigerians with little faith in his reform agenda – if one exists at all.
“We urge the President and his team to own up to their failures over the past 14 months and abandon the absurd theory that the protests are orchestrated by the opposition.’’
Broadcast didn’t address Police brutality against protesters — Soyinka
On his part, Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, faulted President Tinubu’s national broadcast for not addressing the violent crackdown by security forces on protesters.
Soyinka, who in a statement, expressed concern over the president’s omission of this critical issue, said: “I set my alarm clock for this morning to ensure that I did not miss President Bola Tinubu’s impatiently awaited address to the nation on the current unrest across the nation.
”
His outline of government’s remedial action since inception, aimed at warding off just such an outbreak, will undoubtedly receive expert and sustained attention both for effectiveness and in content analysis.
‘’My primary concern, quite predictably, is the continuing deterioration of the state’s seizure of protest management, an area in which the presidential address fell conspicuously short.
“Such short-changing of civic deserving, regrettably, goes to arm the security forces in the exercise of impunity and condemns the nation to a seemingly unbreakable cycle of resentment and reprisals.
Speech insensitive to Nigerians’ plight — PDP
Also reacting to Tinubu’s speech, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, described it as diversionary and insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Debo Ologunagba, in a statement, explained that the president failed to address the real issues bothering Nigerians, which is the high cost of living, especially the rising cost of food items and the volatility of the local currency against major currencies which has made planning almost impossible.
Ologunagba said: “PDP asserts that the speech by President Bola Tinubu over the ongoing protests in the country confirms the All Progressives Congress, APC, administration’s insensitivity towards Nigerians and the very precarious situation in the country.
“Our party is appalled that even though it took President Tinubu the prodding of the PDP to speak to the nation, it is distressing that the speech failed to offer any concrete measure to address the excruciating hardship in the country.
“Mr. President’s speech failed to respond to the demand by the citizens for immediate measures to reduce the price of petroleum products, halt the fall of the Naira and urgent intervention in the provision of food items to starving Nigerians.
Protesters’ demands not addressed — Falana
Reacting to the broadcast, the chairman of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, ASCAB, Mr Femi Falana, SAN, charged President Tinubu to address the demands of the peaceful protesters.
He noted that the presidential speech delivered fell short of addressing the key demand of the protesters – a reversal of the policy of withdrawal of fuel subsidies.
Falana in a statement, also condemned the repression of the peaceful protesters, while commiserating with all those who lost loved ones in the protest.
He called on the government to set up commissions of inquiry to bring to justice to those responsible for the reckless killings.
The statement read: “If the government takes the fight against corruption to oil dealers and crude oil is processed in government-owned refineries, there will be no basis for fuel subsidy, which is induced by the importation of petroleum products.
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“We commiserate with the families of the patriots’ peaceful protesters that were killed and call on the federal and state governments to set up commissions of inquiry, which should include representatives of credible human rights organisations and the NBA to investigate the killings, to bring to justice the reckless murderers in Police uniform and ensure that.
“The family members of the deceased should be adequately compensated by the federal government. The victims of the barbarous police killings should be identified and celebrated as heroes and heroines of the struggle for the emancipation of the downtrodden Nigerian people. Participation in peaceful protests should never be criminalised in Nigeria.”
Tinubu didn’t listen to protesters — NLC
Reacting, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, lamented that the President’s speech did not address the anger of the protesters, especially the youths, saying the President heard the youths loud and clear but did not listen to them.
One of the leaders of NLC, who spoke to Vanguard, said: “We are completely disappointed with the President’s speech. There was nothing concrete, as usual, it was all about promises. Yes, the President heard the protesters or the youths loud and clear, but sadly, the president did not listen to their demands or pains.
Address economic contractions, NECA urges govt
Similarly, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, urged the federal government to urgently address the myriads of economic contradictions strangulating the private sector to enable the economy open up and return to the path of rapid growth.
Reacting to the President’s nationwide address in response to the ongoing protest, the Director-General/Chief Executive of NECA, Mr. Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, said: “With the current rate at which businesses are declaring losses, especially in the real sector, the nation might be in for another round of business shutdown.
‘’A combined loss of over N533 billion by just four businesses in the sector in the first quarter, H1, 2024 calls for urgent action.
“Following the protests and the national address by President Bola Tinubu, urging protesters to sheath their swords, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, has joined the President to urge the protesters to embrace dialogue, while also requesting the government to urgently address the seeming economic contradictions that are strangulating the organized private sector and stopping it from fulfilling its role as the engine of development.”
[VANGUARD NGR]
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