AWAU ADEGOKE
Many youths, activists and members of civil society organisations protested across the country on Thursday and Friday in response to the economic hardship occasioned by the policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The protest, which is billed to last for 10 days, continues to gather momentum. KINGSLEY ALUMONA, YUSUF ADBUDLKADIR and AWAU ADEGOKE asked the opinions of some Nigerians on the protest. Their views:
Adamu Goje
The EndBadGovernance protest has yielded two key outcomes. Firstly, even if the protest ends now, it has accomplished its goals. The Tinubu administration will likely make adequate consultations before implementing new policies. Secondly, the influence of Islamic clerics, who were heavily relied upon by politicians during the election campaign has waned. Despite their best efforts to discourage participation, people turned out in large numbers. This mass turnout signifies a decline in the clerics’ political significance, suggesting they will be insignificant in future elections.
Ayoola Ismail
It saddens me that we have been protesting about bad governance since our independence. Firstly, there is no way the protests would not cause violence as we have seen across some parts of the country, especially the looting and burning of government properties in Kano. The government — federal, state, and local — should address bad governance and hardship before the protests escalate more than this. The price of petrol and its scarcity should be addressed, that is the major thing hiking the prices of other commodities. Secondly, the protesters should shy away from looting and destruction of government properties and private businesses. That way, we are doing ourselves more harm than good.
Ajayi Iyanuoluwa
The protest is a good move. Until we take bold steps and say this government is not favouring us, they will not do anything about it. Things are hard, the cost of petrol is increasing daily, food is expensive, and electricity is unstable. I support the protest, but condemn the destruction of properties and harm to people. A peaceful protest is what we are after. I heard some politicians have fled the country because of the protest. If they are doing good and doing their duty as they are supposed to, they will not run away. We have to end bad governance.
Emmanuel Ojatunwase
The president should be careful and circumspect about how he handles the nationwide protest. Protests in Nigeria are mostly politically motivated and might end up being violent if thuggery is involved. I would encourage the president to appeal to the youth and aggrieved Nigerians, and make sure security forces are positioned in strategic places to avoid the protest from being hijacked or turned into a violent activity like the End SARS protest. Security agents should be professional in their dealings during the protest.
Anthony Oguntibeju
I would advise President Tinubu to adopt a conciliatory approach towards the nationwide protest by engaging in constructive dialogue with the organisers and listening attentively to the grievances of Nigerians. Rather than resorting to suppression, the government should address the underlying issues driving the protest, including economic hardship, surge in food prices, insecurity, and corruption. By implementing policies that benefit the masses and demonstrating a genuine commitment to their welfare, the president could rebuild trust and foster a sense of national unity. The president should do everything within his capacity to make the Dangote Refinery survive the various challenges put up by the oil cabal.
Sulaimon Kamaldeen
President Tinubu should address the nation, especially the youth, to remain calm. The protest could be hijacked by miscreants who may turn the exercise into an uprising. This should be properly managed so we would not repeat the same history of the End SARS protest. Protests in Nigeria have never been used to solve any problem but to damage or vandalise government properties. The president should also make policies that would stem the economic hardship in the country.
Tasi’u Aminu
As a matter of urgent national importance, the government needs to deploy mechanisms to appease Nigerians from continuing with the protests. This could be possible if the government could look at the critical items upon which the protesters are agitating and proffer solutions to them. From the look of things, the protest would hardly be a peaceful one, considering how angry Nigerians are due to the unprecedented skyrocketed cost of living in the country. However, as far as the protest is concerned, Nigerians have to be allowed to enjoy their constitutional rights without any intimidation or interruption.
Hamzat Ayodele
Government properties are usually vandalised during protests. In light of this, I urge President Tinubu to fast-track the process of implementing the new minimum wage and to also look into other pending requests that are of utmost importance to drive the nation forward and emancipate Nigerians from this economic dilemma. It is usually called a ‘peaceful protest’, but vandalisation of government properties happened when such demonstrations were done in the past. The president should order our security personnel to guard government infrastructure and avoid the infringement of the human rights of peaceful protesters.
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