PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu’s Sunday national broadcast addressing the widespread hunger protests in Nigeria has understandably sparked significant criticism from various quarters. While the President aimed to quell public discontent, Tinubu’s speech failed to address the root causes and immediate needs. Essentially, he did not address the protesters’ demands.
There was a clear disconnect between the President’s speech and the realities on the ground. Many Nigerians feel that the government is out of touch with the daily struggles of the average citizen. They believe the political class is self-serving.
The broadcast detailed the government’s effort to save Nigeria from economic collapse. It is a tedious repetition: Nigeria could not afford petrol subsidies anymore; the naira had to be floated to cut out arbitrage, and the electricity tariff was cancelled for Band A customers. The effects of the reform have imposed unusual hardship on Nigerians, as inflation has made life a sore point.
Unlike his Kenyan counterpart, President William Ruto, who, faced with similar protests, spoke to the youths’ demands, Tinubu prevaricated and left the issues that triggered the protest hanging.
One of the demands is that the government should release all #EndSARS protesters in custody since 2020. This can defuse the boiling tensions. It is a missed opportunity.
Instead, the President’s address was long on promises but short on redressing the issues: the high cost of fuels, hunger, high living costs, and a large, unwieldy government.
Rather than assuage the protesters, who had largely conducted themselves peacefully in many parts of the country, the authorities deployed the police and soldiers who went after them with bullets and tear gas.
Attacking protesters and journalists is an ill-advised strategy to resolve the problems in the country. To insinuate that political opponents sponsored the protests is a red herring; hunger, poverty, and frustration drive the protest. Tinubu should appreciate this fact and focus on the challenges in the country.
Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka condemned the use of lethal force on the protesters: “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.”
One of the most glaring criticisms of Tinubu’s address was the absence of concrete and immediate relief measures for those affected by hunger. Worse, there was nothing on the cost of governance.
Critics argue that the economic policies outlined in the speech are insufficient to tackle the severe hunger crisis. The President’s emphasis on boosting agricultural production and improving supply chains – though necessary – does not address the immediate economic hardship Nigerians are facing.
The broadcast was heavy on political rhetoric and light on actionable plans. Many felt the President used the platform to make broad promises without providing detailed plans for fulfilling these promises.
Tinubu’s speech did not adequately address the structural issues contributing to hunger in Nigeria. Problems such as widespread corruption, poor infrastructure, inefficient governance systems, and high cost of governance were not sufficiently acknowledged or addressed. Without tackling these underlying issues, any proposed solutions will be ineffective.
The President’s call for unity and cooperation appears superficial without a clear plan for engaging with key stakeholders, including civil society organisations.
Many of the promises made in the speech were viewed as unrealistic, given the current state of the economy. The ambitious plans to boost agricultural production were met with scepticism since insecurity still stalks the land, preventing farming and businesses from operating.
Moreover, the President’s call for dialogue with protest leaders did not provide a toehold or concrete hope for solutions, as he threatened to use force.
Moving forward, the true test of Tinubu’s commitment to change will be in the administration’s actions and the tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
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