How Soyinka, Ezekwesili, others reacted to Tinubu’s speech

Prominent Nigerians have knocked President Bola Tinubu over his address on the ongoing #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests against the economic crisis in the country.

Nigerians in major cities have taken to the streets since Thursday to protest the rising cost of living while calling for an end to “bad governance.” The protests have resulted in looting of public and private properties and loss of lives in cities like Kano and Kaduna.

Protesters have vowed to remain on the streets for ten days, and the protest is billed to end on Saturday, 10 August.

On the third day of the protests, men of the State Security Service (SSS) officials fired tear gas and live ammunition at unarmed protesters and journalists covering the protests at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, the supposed approved venue for the demonstration.

Tinubu’s address

In his first address to the nation since the nationwide protests began, Mr Tinubu said his government would not reverse the removal of petrol subsidies and floating of the naira, two policies that have reportedly increased the current hardship in the country.

He said the removal of petrol subsidies will not be reversed because it has helped block “the greed and the profits that smugglers and rent-seekers made.”

“I therefore took the painful yet necessary decision to remove fuel subsidies and abolish multiple foreign exchange systems which had constituted a noose around the economic jugular of our Nation and impeded our economic development and progress,” he said in the Sunday broadcast many have described as uninspiring.

Mr Tinubu also reeled out achievements and policies his government has put in place to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians.

Reactions

But Nigerians who reacted to his speech said it had not addressed the protesters’ demands.

Reacting to the speech, Wole Soyinka, a Nobel Laureate, expressed worry over the deterioration of protest management by the government.

He noted that the president’s speech fell completely short of addressing the core issues.

“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 said

Mr Soyinka, a professor, also condemned the methods of dispersing crowds employed by the police and other state actors.

He said the continuous use of lethal means by security agencies during protests would only lead the nation to a cycle of resentment and reprisals.

He said: “Live bullets as a state response to civic protest – that becomes the core issue. Even teargas remains questionable in most circumstances, certainly an abuse in situations of clearly peaceful protest.”

“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.”

Ezekwesili speaks

In her reaction, a former education minister, Oby Ezekwesili, said Mr Tinubu’s speech is “terribly underwhelming to read.”

She said the speech did not reflect the concerns of the aggrieved Nigerians on the state of the nation.

Ms Ezekwesili noted that the speech missed the opportunity to placate citizens with sound answers and evidence-based actions that his government would immediately address the priorities of the protesters.

“Your speech reads like a page from your party manifesto and terribly fails to connect to what our citizens on the streets are angry and protesting about,” she wrote on X.

“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,” she added.

READ ALSO: REPORTER’S DIARY: #EndBadGovernance: Dodging death as SSS operatives spray us with bullets

“Also, fish out all law enforcement personnel that have killed and maimed citizens and ensure they are sanctioned as a deterrence to their colleagues.”

Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of the Youths Rights Campaign, Michael Adaramoye, described Mr Tinubu’s address as empty and urged protesters to troop out on Monday.

He said Mr Tinubu was “out of touch” with the masses’ reality and the protesters’ demands.

He said Mr Tinubu’s description of the protests as politically motivated is an attempt to “call a dog a bad name so that it could be harmed”.

He noted that the protests have been largely faceless and leaderless because they were spontaneous responses to the deep economic crisis experienced by Nigerians.

“The insistence that the protests are politically motivated shows a deep disconnection with the masses,” he said at a press conference on Sunday.

He said the economic achievements listed by Mr Tinubu are for himself and his cronies and don’t reflect the reality of the Nigerian masses.

He added that Mr Tinubu’s address did not address any of the protester’s demands.

“Tomorrow, we will be out en masse. Our people will be out to further the protests because the protests continue. As we all recall, it is a 10-day protest,” he added.