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The Federal Government has released N570bn to the 36 states to expand livelihood support to their citizens, President Bola Tinubu announced on Sunday.
He also revealed that Nigeria spends N2tn monthly to import Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, and Automotive Gas Oil, otherwise known as diesel.
Tinubu stated this during his nationwide broadcast to Nigerians, as he disclosed that N9.1tn was accumulated as total fiscal revenue to the Federal Government’s coffers during the first half of 2024, marking a significant increase from what was earned by the previous administration.
“Also, more than N570bn has been released to the 36 states to expand livelihood support to their citizens, while 600,000 nano-businesses have benefitted from our nano-grants. An additional 400,000 more nan0-businesses are expected to benefit,” the President stated.
He noted that despite Nigeria’s abundant oil and gas resources, his administration met a country that was dependent only on oil, neglecting its gas resources while subsidising the cost of fuel.
As a result, he said his administration invested in Compressed Natural Gas to change the narrative.
“Fellow Nigerians, we are a country blessed with both oil and gas resources, but we met a country that had been dependent solely on oil-based petrol, neglecting its gas resources to power the economy. We were also using our hard-earned foreign exchange to pay for and subsidise its use.
“To address this, we immediately launched our Compressed Natural Gas Initiative to power our transportation economy and bring costs down. This will save over N2tn a month, being used to import PMS and AGO and free up our resources for more investment in healthcare and education,” Tinubu stated.
He said his administration would distribute one million kits of extremely low or no cost to commercial vehicles that transport people and goods, and who currently consume 80 per cent of the imported petrol and diesel.
“We have started the distribution of conversion kits and setting up of conversion centres across the country in conjunction with the private sector. We believe that this CNG initiative will reduce transportation costs by approximately 60 per cent and help to curb inflation,” Tinubu disclosed.
While licensed individuals have been importing diesel into Nigeria, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited remains the sole importer of petrol into the country.
Despite being the largest oil producer in Africa, Nigeria depends on imported petroleum products due to low refining capacity.
Also during the broadcast on Sunday, Tinubu said his administration was ready to listen to and address the concerns of protesters involved in the nationwide protest that started on August 1, 2024.
On the revenue increase in the first half of the year, the President said it was due to efforts in blocking leakages, introducing automation, and mobilising funding creatively, all without placing an additional burden on the people.
He said productivity in the non-oil sector is gradually increasing, reaching new levels and capitalising on the opportunities presented by the current economic environment.
He said, “In the past 14 months, our government has made significant strides in rebuilding the foundation of our economy to carry us into a future of plenty and abundance.
“On the fiscal side, aggregate government revenues have more than doubled, hitting over N9.1tn in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023 due to our efforts at blocking leakages, introducing automation and mobilising funding creatively without additional burden on the people.
“Productivity is gradually increasing in the non-oil sector, reaching new levels and taking advantage of the opportunities in the current economic ambience,” Tinubu said.
The President explained that there had been a reduction in Nigeria’s debt burden, with revenue on debt service declining from 97 per cent in 2023 to 68 per cent in 2024.
He said the country has cleared legitimate outstanding foreign exchange obligations of about $5bn “without any adverse impact on our programmes.”
According to the President, the debt reduction has provided the country with greater financial freedom, allowing for increased spending on essential social services such as education and healthcare.
He said this financial relief has also enabled state and local governments to receive the highest allocations from the Federation Account in the nation’s history.
“Coming from a place where our country spent 97 per cent of all our revenue on debt service; we have been able to reduce that to 68 per cent in the last 13 months.
“We have also cleared legitimate outstanding foreign exchange obligations of about $5bn without any adverse impact on our programmes. This has given us more financial freedom and the room to spend more money on you, our citizens, to fund essential social services like education and healthcare,” he stated.
A widow, Amina Isah, alongside her children and grandchildren numbering six was reported to have fallen sick and rushed to the hospital after taking a pap at Egba in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State on Sunday.
The children are identified as Benjamin, Piko, Esther, Hassan Emmanuel and one other
A source from the community who identified himself as Adaji told our correspondent on Sunday that the widow and her six family members were vomiting after taking a pap and were rushed to a private clinic in the community.
Adaji said the elderly widow and three of the children were unconscious at the time they were taken to the hospital.
Speaking to our correspondent on the telephone, the doctor who doubles as proprietor of the clinic, known as ‘Dr Gana Clinic’, Dr Oyaje Sule aka Dr Gana, confirmed the seven patients in his clinic.
According to him, three of the patients including the widow were brought in unconscious, adding that the family were reported to have used the remnants of guinea corn already mixed with chemical for planting to make a pap.
Sule said, “It is true they brought a woman who I have known in the community, alongside her children and grandchildren numbering seven to my clinic this morning.
“The woman is a widow with her three children and three grandchildren, their ages range from three to 30 years aside from their grandmother who is elderly.
“As of the time they were brought, the woman and two others were unconscious but thank God they have been revived.
“What I was told is that the family had mixed chemicals with guinea corn they were to plant. After planting the guinea corn, the remaining was brought home and they washed it and went and ground it to make pap.
“It was after they took the pap this morning that they started vomiting and some of them were unconscious before they were rushed to my clinic.
A former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, who served under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, on Sunday, faulted President Bola Tinubu’s national broadcast, seeking an end to the ongoing nationwide hunger protest.
Dalung, who led the anti-government protest in Jos, Plateau State last Thursday, was again at an open-air Sunday church service held by the protesters in Jos.
Speaking to journalists at the Sunday service held at the Old Airport Roundabout, with a large crowd of protesters, including Christian and Muslim leaders, Dalung described Tinubu’s broadcast as empty, insisting that the protest was far from finished.
The ex-minister said, “The President did not say anything in his speech. He did not appeal to the protesters to stop the protest. He only threatened them and told the security agencies to continue with the clampdown, shooting and killing. He did not even address Nigerians. He was just talking to himself and members of his cabinet. All these things he said only go to strengthen our resolve to continue with this protest.”
The protesters, brandishing the Nigerian flag, blocked the Old Airport Roundabout, compelling motorists to seek alternative routes within the metropolis.
Some of them, who spoke with our correspondent, said the church service was significant because they believed that God still had the capacity to intervene in the affairs of Nigeria and turn things around for good for the suffering citizens.
A protester, Philip Madaki, who said he arrived at the Old Airport Junction for the Sunday Service around 7:30 am, said, “I have been participating in the protest since it began on Thursday and today being Sunday, we are continuing with the protest with a church service. As the protest is ongoing, we believe that God Almighty has not abandoned the country and its citizens and we know He has the power to turn the hearts of kings in whichever direction he wants. And we want Him to visit our leaders in the country, especially those in governance positions and touch their hearts so that they will know that the citizens are really suffering because of bad governance and their harsh economic policies in the country and be able to do something to change the situation. That’s why we are adding the church service to the ongoing protests.”
...disowns post endorsing military rule
Former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida has dissociated himself from a post associating him to have endorsed the virtues of military rule over democratic governance.
In a statement from his media office signed by Mahmud Abdullahi in Minna, General Babangida reiterated his commitment to democratic rule rather than military and therefore called on all Nigerians to, not only to embrace it, but to see to its success.
The statement reads:”Our attention has been drawn to a post on a parody account on X, formerly known as twitter, which carries the handle, @General_Ibbro, in which former President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, GCFR, was supposed to have endorsed the virtues of military rule over democratic governance.
“This dubious account carries our principal’s picture and name and the coat of arms of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for added effect but it does not belong to him nor does the former President sanction any post appearing there.
“In the past and more famously during the presidential elections last year, it posted a blatant falsehood that the former President had endorsed a particular presidential candidate and his party, thereby causing public confusion and some embarrassment to the Elder Statesman.
“We have just learnt that it has posted a similarly fake statement where the former President was supposed to have said that Nigeria has the best years under military, democracy made things worst.
“We want to state unequivocally that neither the twitter or X account which is essentially a parody or pretend account, nor the statement made therein ever belonged to the retired General.
“For the avoidance of doubt, General Babangida (rtd) believes that Nigeria’s democracy is resilient and has come to stay and that we must do everything we can to safeguard the process.
“As a nation, we are currently facing a number of challenges but the former president has always expressed the view that we will eventually overcome these challenges and come out a stronger, more progressive nation. The solution to our problems as he had said previously, is ‘more’ democracy, not less.
“General Babangida truly believes that the era of military intervention in Nigeria’s politics is long gone and he has said how proud he is that the Nigerian military has stood firmly behind multiple democratic governments in this country since 1999, thus giving us the longest run of civilian administration since independence.
“The user of this unfortunate parody account which we gather was traditionally supposed to be an account that imitates or at least mirror the sentiments of the original twitter or X account that it copies, has serially chosen to use the account to undermine democracy and spread stories capable of causing animosity.
“Sadly, there seems very little we can do to make the overseers of X or twitter to remove or sanction this tiresome account, so we are again obliged to advise the general public to ignore any post from this account that purportedly claims to represent my opinion,” General Babangida declared.
The statement advised media practitioners and social media users to be more discerning in future and make the necessary efforts to get confirmation before sharing messages attributed to former President Babangida on X on any social media platform.
…Rescue kidnap victims in Sokoto
Troops of the Nigerian Army have arrested a notorious gun-runner on transit to deliver high calibre weapons to terrorists and intercepted a truck conveying illegally refined Automated Gas Oil, AGO.
The troops also rescued kidnapped victims while on transit in Kaduna State.
The Army said vigilant troops, in collaboration with other security agencies, intercepted the notorious gun-runner, Mallam Hashimu Ahmad at Saminaka in Lere Local Government Area of the state.
It said: “The suspect, who has been on the wanted list of the security agencies for supplying arms and ammunition to terrorists was captured while on transit to deliver sophisticated weapons.
“The weapons include one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) Launcher, one RPG Bomb, 1,069 rounds of 7. 62mm (special) ammunition and one belt of 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition.
“The cache of arms and ammunition, as well as the vehicle used in conveying them, have been fully recovered.”
In the same vein, the Army said: “In Sokoto State, troops on patrol in the general area of Matalawa village of Isa Local Government Area of the state have rescued kidnap hostages, who were abducted and taken into the forest while on transit.
“Responding to a distress call, the troops moved swiftly to the location, where they engaged the kidnappers in a gun duel, leading to the extrication of the hostages.
“The rescued hostages have been reunited with their families.
“In Delta State, troops acting on credible intelligence have intercepted a tanker truck laden with 15,000 litres of substance suspected to be illegally refined AGO at Ozoro, in Isoko North Local Government Area of the state.
“The troops have also taken the two suspects conveying the illegal product into custody for preliminary investigation, preparatory to handing over to appropriate prosecuting agency.
“Troops of the NA have continued to intensify ongoing operations against terrorism, insurgency, banditry, and sundry crimes, clamping down on various criminal syndicates across the country.
The Nigerian Army remains committed to protecting the nation and dismantling all criminal networks, inducing insecurity in the country.”
Protesters have reacted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s address to the nation, stating that he failed to address their demands.
According to the protesters, the President should address their demands and the current hardship before coming to the negotiation table.
The protest, which started on Thursday, crippled socio-economic activities across the states, as motor parks, shops, malls, markets and roads were deserted.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP, one of the leaders of the protesters, Deji Adeyanju said they are willing to engage the government in the coming days.
“This is the only way the protest can be highly successful. We must learn from EndSARS. President Tinubu should listen to the people and meet their demands. The voice of the people is the voice of God.
“There should be a national dialogue with protesters. The president should be sincere. All politicians should be ready to make sacrifices and stop collecting pay. It’s ‘operation saves Nigeria from total collapse,’” Adeyanju said.
According to him, the president’s claim that the protest was politically motivated was wide off the mark.
Meanwhile, civil society organisations (CSOs) have called for a dialogue with the President. The CSOs applauded President Tinubu for his recent address urging protesters and organisers to suspend further protests and embrace dialogue.
The CSOs are Transparency International (TI), Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) and the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC).
Speaking through their leader, Awwal Musa Rafsanjani, the CSOs said they acknowledge the President’s recognition of the grievances driving this protest and his commitment to listening to and addressing Nigerian citizens’ concerns.
“President Tinubu emphasised the need for unity and collective effort in reshaping the nation’s future, calling on all Nigerians, irrespective of age, political affiliation, tribe, or religion, to work together for a better Nigeria.
“We stands firmly with the demands for justice and reform within the administrative justice system and improved governance, as this will ensure a just and prosperous nation where peace, freedom, and meaningful livelihoods are enjoyed under a transparent and accountable government,” Rafsanjani said.
Don’t truncate our democracy, Kachikwu warns
On his part, the former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr. Dumebi Kachikwu, yesterday asked protesters to sheathe their swords because the blood of the innocent was being shed for nothing.
He urged protesters not to truncate Nigeria’s democracy and pointed out that of the 19 victims of the protests, no child of any politician or big man was killed.
He pleaded with those aggrieved to wait for the next presidential election to end bad governance.
He also asked the opposition to proffer solutions to the problems of the country instead of instigating violence and seeking overthrow of the democratically elected administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Kachikwu advised Tinubu to be broadminded and consult widely instead of running the affairs of the nation alone.
Kachikwu, who made his position on the state of the nation known in a statement in Abuja, said it was time to stop the blame game in the country.
He said: “We can’t continue killing ourselves. Our streets flow with the blood of the innocent. Over 19 killed in this scam of a protest, all for what? No child of any politician or big man was killed. Just the poor, average Nigerian. Only their family members will cry and mourn for them quietly while those who have made billions from this scam laugh to the bank.”
Why protest is peaceful in Niger Delta – Ex-agitators
The national chairman Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Phase 2 Leaders Forum, Ibena Rufus Salvation, has attributed the peaceful nature of the hunger protest witnessed in the Niger Delta region to the outstanding performance of President Bola Tinubu and the PAP administrator, Dr. Dennis Otuaro.
In a statement in Yenagoa on Sunday, Ibena said though the protest recorded in the region was very peaceful, he has joined the administrator to plead with all citizens of the country, particularly the Niger Delta region, to stop the protest.
He urged the protesters to consider those areas in which the President has made positive within his one year in office, and assured President Tinubu and the PAP administrator of total support from all programme beneficiaries.
Sanwo-Olu Hails Lagosians For Rejecting Anarchy
As the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest ends in Lagos State, Lagos State Governor Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu commended the residents for rejecting anarchy and conducting their protest peacefully.
The protest, which has seen incidents of death, looting, and harassment by security operatives across various parts of the country, ended in Lagos State after the nationwide broadcast by President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement by the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, the governor said he had opened new engagement channels between the government and the people.
The commissioner quoted the governor as saying, “Your stoppage of the protest today is a crystal clear affirmation that you know your collective voice has been heard by the government. What you have done is not only noble but the civilised thing to do.
Address police brutality, Soyinka tells president
Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has called on President Bola Tinubu to address police brutality in the ongoing protest.
Soyinka, who was reacting to President Tinubu’s national broadcast, criticized him for not addressing the violent crackdown by security forces on #EndBadGovernance protesters.
Soyinka, in a statement, expressed concern at the president’s omission of this critical issue.
He said: “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 right, 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.
Protest: Police Arrest 108 Suspects In Yobe
The Yobe State police command has arrested 108 suspects for various crimes, including those who defied the imposed curfew in the affected areas.
The commissioner of Police, Garba Ahmed, stated that the efforts are ongoing to recover stolen property, with discreet investigations underway.
A statement signed by Police Public Relations Officer DSP Dungus Abdulkarim said the nationwide protest resulted in looting, property destruction, and unrest.
Tinubu vows not to allow individuals with selfish political agenda to destroy Nigeria
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu earlier expressed deep concern over the nationwide hunger protests, which have resulted in the loss of life and property in various parts of the country.
In a nationwide broadcast yesterday, Tinubu acknowledged the protesters’ grievances and called for the immediate suspension of further demonstrations.
He said: “Under the circumstances, I enjoin protesters and the organisers to suspend any further protest and create room for dialogue, which I have always acceded to at the slightest opportunity.
“Nigeria requires all hands on deck and needs us all – regardless of age, party, tribe, religion or other divides, to work together in reshaping our destiny as a nation.
“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.
“Our democracy progresses when the constitutional rights of every Nigerian are respected and protected. Our law enforcement agencies should continue to ensure the full protection of lives and properties of innocent citizens in a responsible manner.
“My vision for our country is one of a just and prosperous nation where each person may enjoy the peace, freedom, and meaningful livelihood that only democratic good governance can provide – one that is open, transparent and accountable to the Nigerian people.
In the address, Tinubu outlined various economic measures and initiatives his administration has undertaken in the past 14 months.
[Leadership]
Operatives of the Department of State Services have arrested one of the leaders of the ongoing Endbadgovernance protests in the Federal Capital Territory, Micheal Lenin.
Lenin was picked up by the DSS around 2 am on Monday at his residence in the Apo area of the FCT.
Speaking with our correspondent, the Director of Mobilisation, Take It Back Movement, Damilare Adenola, said Lenin’s house was raided by the DSS.
He alleged that the DSS also assaulted him during his arrest.
Adenola said, “ Lenin has been arrested by the DSS. He was picked up during a raid on his house around 2am.
“He was arrested and tortured in the presence of his family. We are demanding his immediate and unconditional release.“
The DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, could not be reached as of the time of filing this report.
He has yet to respond to a message sent to him.
Lenin, who is the National Coordinator, of the Youth Rights Campaign, was one of the organisers who spoke at a press briefing expressing disappointment with President Bola Tinubu’s broadcast on Sunday.
At the briefing, he said the President’s broadcast demonstrated that he is out of touch with reality in the country.
He said, “We wish to express our sadness and deep disappointment at the latest broadcast by President Tinubu which is his first address to the nation on the #EndBadGovernance protests, after over three weeks since Nigerians started mobilising to take to the streets and after scores of dead protesters and assaulted journalists from the first three days of the protests.
“ Many had requested that the President should just address the nation when the protest was being mobilised and when it started to escalate, but most of us did not know that the President would only justify state violence on protesters and journalists while dismissing the demands of the protesters whenever he decides to speak.
“This, plus the failed attempt to co-opt the progressive and radical language of the protests only shows how much President Tinubu is out of touch with the masses.“
Lenin, however, said the protest would continue massively on Monday, calling on the citizens to come out in large numbers.
He said, “We, therefore, call on Nigerians to come out in large numbers to continue these protests on Monday until our demands are met. The two-pronged approach of violence and propaganda has failed.
“The violence and repressions are just attempts to silence and control us, and the propaganda cannot sway or fool us.”
[Punch]
[PRESS RELEASE] #EndBagGovernanceProtest: Tinubu’s speech is hollow, fails to address the hardship of Nigerians
Admin![[PRESS RELEASE] #EndBagGovernanceProtest: Tinubu’s speech is hollow, fails to address the hardship of Nigerians](/media/k2/items/cache/9e5d006f473c3a5d4f6d3a289a6fcbe5_S.jpg)
President Bola Tinubu’s broadcast this morning, intended to quell the fervour of public protests against his administration's poor governance, utterly misses the mark. His 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. 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. This administration has failed on all fronts, even in the simple task of keeping a presidential speech confidential.
Typically, presidential addresses are shared under embargo with media houses. However, the premature leak of this speech, allowing Nigerians to read along with the President in real-time, starkly illustrates the media nay Nigerians dwindling confidence in this administration.
The opposition did not create the economic quagmire we find ourselves in; this disaster is solely the result of the Tinubu administration's trial-and-error policies. It is high time they stopped the blame game and faced the reality of their failures.
Signed:
Paul Ibe
Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar
Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic (2023)
4th August, 2024.
#EndBadGovernance: Soyinka Slams Tinubu’s Speech For Ignoring Police Brutality Against Protesters
AFOLABI
Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s recent national broadcast for not addressing the violent crackdown by security forces on #EndBadGovernance protesters.
In a statement issued on Sunday after Tinubu’s address, Soyinka expressed concern over the president’s omission of this critical issue.
#EndBadGovernance protests continued for the fourth day, with citizens expressing dissatisfaction with worsening economic conditions and ineffective governance.
Soyinka stated, “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.”
He argued that the government’s approach only encourages impunity among security forces and perpetuates a cycle of resentment and reprisals.
Soyinka highlighted the use of live ammunition as a response to peaceful protests as a critical issue, noting that even tear gas is often misused in such situations.
He remarked that hunger marches are a universal plea for help, signaling a breaking point that demands government attention.
The violent response to these protests, he warned, represents a regression even more severe than the deadly aftermath of the ENDSARS protests.
“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.
“Live bullets as state response to civic protest – that becomes the core issue. Even tear gas remains questionable in most circumstances, certainly an abuse in situations of clearly peaceful protest. Hunger marches constitute a universal S.O.S, not peculiar to the Nigerian nation. They belong indeed in a class of their own, never mind the collateral claims emblazoned on posters.
“They serve as summons to governance that a breaking point has been reached and thus, a testing ground for governance awareness of public desperation. The tragic response to the ongoing hunger marches in parts of the nation, and for which notice was served, constitutes a retrogression that takes the nation even further back than the deadly culmination of the watershed ENDSARS protests.
“It evokes pre-independence – that is, colonial – acts of disdain, a passage that induced the late stage pioneer Hubert Ogunde’s folk opera BREAD AND BULLETS, earning that nationalist serial persecution and proscription by the colonial government.”
Soyinka noted that the “nation’s security agencies cannot pretend unawareness of alternative models for emulation, civilized advances in security intervention.”
He said, “Need we recall the nationwide 2022/23 editions of what is generally known as the YELLOW VEST movement in France? Perhaps it is time to make such scenarios compulsory viewing in policing curriculum. In all of the coverage that I watched, I did not catch one single instance of a gun leveled at protesters, much less fired at them even during direct physical confrontations.
“The serving of bullets where bread is pleaded is ominous retrogression, and we know what that eventually proves – a prelude to far more desperate upheavals, not excluding revolutions.
“The time is long overdue, surely, to abandon, permanently, the anachronistic resort to lethal means by the security agencies of governance. No nation is so under-developed, materially impoverished, or simply internally insecure as to lack the will to set an example. All it takes is to recall its own history, then exercise the will to commence a lasting transformation, inserting a break in the chain of lethal responses against civic society.
“Today’s marchers may wish to consider adopting the key songs of Hubert Ogunde’s BREAD AND BULLETS, if only to inculcate a sense of shame in the continuing failure to transcend the lure of colonial inheritance where we all were at the receiving end. One way or the other, this vicious cycle must be broken.”
#EndBadGovernance: He Held Lagos With An Iron Grip For 25 Years – Momodu Laments, Says Tinubu Won’t Change Formula
AFOLABI
A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Dele Momodu has reacted to President Bola Tinubu’s speech on the EndBadGovernance protest.
Momodu stated that Tinubu failed to address the demands of the helpless Nigerians.
Speaking via his social media account, the Ovation publisher said he was stupefied by the broadcast.
He opined that it would be difficult for Tinubu to change his ways, considering that he has held Lagos with an iron grip in the last 25 years.
Momodu lamented that he has little hope that the president would grant concessions to the aggrieved Nigerians.
He insisted that most of Tinubu advisers are fanatical cronies who have failed to challenge his method of governance.
Momodu wrote, “Fellow Nigerians, good morning. After the long awaited speech of PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU eventually came this morning, I’m sure most of you would be as stupefied as me. I must confess that I had little hope of Tinubu granting some concessions to the aggrieved Nigerians. As a man who has held iron grip on Lagos State in the last 25 years, it would be difficult for him to change a winning formula that has worked for him ever since. Also, what did we expect his advisers to be telling him when most of them have been his most fanatical cronies from Lagos who have learnt never to challenge the Master.
“So it was mere wishful thinking on the part of incurable optimists like me to think he was going to have mercy on hapless and seemingly helpless Nigerians. Just for academic purposes, let’s reel out what a sensitive leader, who craves the rightful position in posterity, would have done and said:
“1. In view of the unprecedented suffering being experienced by Nigerians, we have decided to cut the cost of governance drastically… Some Ministries will be scrapped and some Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and all redundant personnel would be eased out…No official cars would be procured anytime soon.
“2. The number of aircrafts on our Presidential fleet will be reduced to maximum two. I offer sincere apologies that we went ahead to invest in luxury items at this bad times. We shall place immediate embargo on subsequent purchases.
“3. Subsidy of petroleum products will be reviewed thoroughly to ascertain the genuine costs and true billing of the controversial payments. While we hope to achieve this in maximum of three months, we shall revert to old prices within this period in order to reduce the heavy burden on our people. We shall also escalate work on our existing refineries without which we shall be throwing away loads of resources. Nothing has stalled our refineries other than reckless corruption. This we are blocking immediately.
“4. Instead of tasking civil servants and politicians to handle students loans and vocational grants, we shall engage reputable accounting firms and banks to set up modalities for credits and activate the disbursements…- CHIEF DELE MOMODU”
More...
A small group of #EndBadGovernance protesters assembled at Gani Fawehinmi Park on Sunday morning, singing solidarity songs shortly after President Bola Tinubu addressed the nation.
The demonstrators expressed dissatisfaction, stating that the President failed to address the core issues they raised, even though he mentioned efforts being made by his administration.
Police and other security personnel remained present at the park.
The police prevented the protesters from marching beyond the designated area at Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota.
The protesters complied peacefully and returned to the designated location.
As of this report, there were more police officers than protesters in the Ojota area of Lagos.
In a broadcast earlier on Sunday, Tinubu urged the youths to halt the #EndBadGovernance protests and engage in dialogue.
He reassured them that his administration is committed to good governance despite the socio-economic challenges facing Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation.
Tinubu stated that removing the fuel subsidy was a painful yet necessary decision for economic reforms.
Reinstating the petrol subsidy is one of the key demands of the young Nigerians who have been protesting since Thursday against the country’s economic hardships.
Among the protesters’ demands are the restoration of the fuel subsidy and changes to the foreign exchange regime. They also call for the government to address food shortages, unemployment, and excessive spending by those in power.
Other demands include reducing the President’s cabinet and overall government expenses, and immediate reforms of the electoral commission (INEC) and anti-corruption agency (EFCC), with renewed efforts to combat corrupt politicians.
Former Senator representing Kaduna North Senatorial District, Shehu Sani, has said it’s time for northerners to look at themselves instead of blaming other regions.
Sani, who wrote on his verified Facebook page on Sunday, lamented that most public schools are free, yet our young ones still don’t want to go to school.
He said, “Many of us don’t want our spouses to work or use their skills or talents to earn a living or contribute to the family. When we die, we leave them as helpless widows at the mercy of a hostile society.
“Most young people don’t want to serve as apprentices in workshops or retail outlets because they lack the heart and patience to serve.
“Many parents in rural areas hand over their children to a religious teacher in the city, who depends on the children to beg or steal in order to feed himself and his family. For ethnic, religious, and sectional reasons, we have protected, defended, praised, and refused to hold accountable all our kinsmen who led the country at every wasted opportunity for five decades.
“The bandits and terrorists who kill and kidnap our people, deny our farmers access to their farms, and prevent our children from going to school are not from any foreign country or from the south; they come from our homes and families up north. We worship with them in the same mosque. We used to live together as one region in peace, brotherhood, and love, but then we divided and began to hate ourselves along religious lines.
“We don’t vote for people who will serve us; we vote for those who will provide us with spaghetti and grains. We concoct and spread all sorts of religiously inclined conspiracies to deny our children free health immunization against diseases, resulting in hundreds of thousands of blind, lame, crippled, and deaf children who grow up as victims of polio, glaucoma, or leprosy, begging in northern and southern cities. Many of our women and girls don’t have a business capital of 100k but own an iPhone worth N1.5m. They don’t have capital of 100k but can ‘struggle’ to meet up with a wedding asoebi of 500k.
“We deny most of our girls the right to go beyond secondary school due to negative perceptions about higher education. We don’t want our female children to wear uniforms. Whenever recruitment portals for the Army, Police, Customs, Immigration, and Civil Defence open, we don’t want our female wards to apply.
“When our children graduate from universities, especially public universities, most of the parents who attend to celebrate and appreciate their children are from the southern regions. Most of our industries and factories in Kano, Kaduna, and Jos have since closed down when our kinsmen were in power. Our farmers in rural areas are still farming with hoes throughout the period our kinsmen were in power. The groundnut and cotton pyramids disappeared long ago when our kinsmen were at the helm.
“All the spare parts, building materials, and pharmaceutical stores in the north are private businesses owned by people from other regions who were not backed, funded, or supported by any government. When our kinsmen were in power, we attributed our poverty and insecurity to God and to our sins; when our kinsmen are out of power, we attribute our sufferings to the King.
“The FCT is in the north. Can anyone explain why people from the region couldn’t dominate the private businesses in the FCT, Suleja, and Mararaba? Who should be blamed for this?
“God gave us the largest land mass, the largest number of people, most of the rivers, and resources and livestock, and gave us power for the most part of our history. Which of the favours of our Lord can we deny? The North; eighty percent of our problems are ourselves and not anyone ‘outside of ourselves.’”
Former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s Sunday address to Nigerians concerning the ongoing nationwide protests against bad governance in the country.
The ex-minister said the speech was terribly underwhelming to read.
Ezekwesili said Tinubu’s speech was a monumental missed opportunity to placate citizens with sound answers and an outline of convincing evidence-based actions that his government will take to address bad governance in the country.
The government critic claimed the speech was written from a mindset focused on “getting back at Tinubu’s imaginary enemies.
DAILY POST reported that Tinubu addressed the nation on Sunday concerning the ongoing nationwide protests.
The President in his speech ruled out the return of fuel subsidy and asked organizers of the protest to withdraw from the street.
However, in a statement on her X handle on Sunday, the former Minister said it is unfortunate to see Nigerian public “Leaders” talk and behave like losers on matters of public governance.
She said: “@officialABAT , As one of millions of Nigerians who were at church when you delivered your late-in-coming Speech to Citizens on the #EndBadGovernancelnNigeria protests, let me loudly say it was terribly underwhelming to read.
‘Your Speech reads like a page from your party manifesto and terribly failed to connect to what our Citizens on the Streets are angry and protesting about.
‘Your speech is quite a monumental missed opportunity to placate citizens with sound answers and outline of convincing evidence-based actions that you and your @NigeriaGov will immediately take to address the priority #BadGovernance concerns.
“Your Speech was sadly again written out of a mindset that is focused on “getting back at our enemies”. Imaginary enemies at that! No true Leader has the luxury of having “enemies” among their Citizens. Not at all. A Public Leader becomes the Leader of ALL with a mind that does not think of any as their enemies.
“This is why it is ever unfortunate to see Nigerian public “Leaders” talk and behave like Losers on matters of public governance where they are expected to rally their ALL Citizens behind the common purpose of nation building.
“It is nauseating to observe this recurrent innate unwillingness of Nigerian public leaders to admit responsibility for the demands of the same public leadership that they kill and maim citizens to assume.
“@officialABAT, Citizens know when they are being badly governed and from what one can see, Nigerians have now realized that they must collectively speak up and take action otherwise their self-obsessed rulers (and not leaders) will not pay them any heed at all.
“As we remember and pray for families of all our citizens mauled down or maimed for demanding an End to Bad Governance, let me call on you @officialABAT to immediately instruct the IG @PoliceNG and his men to “STOP KILLING PEACEFUL PROTESTERS NOW!”
“Also fish out all law enforcement personnel that have killed and maimed citizens and ensure they are sanctioned as a deterrence to their colleagues.”
Political activist, Chris Nwaokobia has described the nationwide broadcast by President Bola Tinubu as flaccid and an uneventful dance around the issues that brought about the EndBadGovernance protests.
Nwaokobia also claimed the president’s speech only sought to validate the policies that traumatised the people and also to decree an end to the protests without addressing the issues.
In a statement made available to DAILY POST on Sunday, Nwaokobia alleged that President Tinubu’s speech did not make concrete promises, announce some far-reaching reforms or say a thing about cutting the cost of governance, cutting wastage, wanderlust and profligacy.
DAILY POST reported that President Tinubu addressed the nation on Sunday where he revealed that he was aware of the pains of Nigerians and that he was speaking with a heavy heart.
The president addressed the nation after day 3 of the planned 10-day EndBadGovernance nationwide protest which started on Thursday, August 1.
Nwaokobia’s statement read, “Mr President’s speech this morning was a flaccid and uneventful dance around the issues that brought us to the nadir. He sought to validate the policies that traumatize the people. He sought to decree an end to the protests without addressing the issues.
“Without making concrete promises. Without announcing some far-reaching reforms. And without saying a thing about cutting the cost of governance, and cutting wastage, wanderlust and profligacy.”
Nwaokobia, who held that the speech was not the mind of the president, accused the writers of being utterly wicked, mischievous and treacherous.
“The person who wrote that speech may be utterly wicked, mischievous and treacherous because I do not believe that such is the mind of Mr. President. But what do I know?”
“Shame on the handlers of this Presidency. Shame on Mr President. Shame on the All Progressive Congress APC. Shame on all those who have direct access to Mr. President but cannot tell him the Truth. And shame to all those who undermine the extent to which an aggrieved people can go.
“Unfortunately, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appears to have been ensconced and removed from all those who can tell him the Truth.
“Mr President has continued on the same trajectory as his aides who believe that threats and orders can attend and assuage the anger in the land. Mr President is apparently far from the truth and away from reality.
“Clearly, Mr President is badly surrounded by sycophants and hypocrites, and so cannot apprehend the enormity of the anger in the land. I pity Mr. President.”
While accusing the President of not being sensitive to the demands of the protesters and speaking without listening, Nwakobia said he hoped the speech would be followed by proactive and profound reforms.