Dr. Oby Ezekwesili.
Debo Ologunade, PDP national publicity secretary.
Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on separate platforms condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broadcast regarding the ongoing nationwide protest.
While Ezekwesili in an X post on Sunday, described it as underwhelming and a monumental missed opportunity to placate citizens with sound answers and outline of convincing evidence-based actions, the PDP said Tinubu’s speech on the #EndBadGovernance protest failed to state concrete measures to address the economic hardship in the country.
The President in a nationwide broadcast on Sunday, addressed the nation amid #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests, which began on August 1.
Protesters have made several demands, which include a return of fuel subsidies, improvements in living standards, cuts in the cost of governance, reduction in electricity tariffs, and solutions to escalating insecurity, among others.
The former Minister stated that the speech terribly failed to connect to what the protesters were protesting about, adding that it was written out of a mindset that was focused on “getting back at our enemies”.
Wrote she: “@officialABAT, as one of the 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 all their citizens behind the common purpose of nation-building”.
The former Minister also condemned the unwillingness of Nigerian public leaders to admit responsibility for the demands of their offices.
Ezekwesili also asked security agencies to arrest personnel who had killed and maimed citizens during the protest to serve as deterrent to others.
Added she: “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 realised 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”.
Reacting to Tinubu’s speech the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a statement by Debo Ologunade its National Publicity Secretary, on Sunday, said the President’s broadcast showcased the ruling party’s disregard for Nigerians’ struggles.
Tinubu asked the protesters to suspend their demonstration, adding that his administration’s efforts “will soon be visible and concrete for everyone to see, feel, and enjoy”.
Said the PDP: “Our Party is appalled that despite the fact that 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.
“It is equally shocking that the speech did not order an investigation into the brutal killing of unarmed Nigerians by certain unscrupulous operatives of the APC-controlled security agencies while demanding good governance, protection, security, and welfare, which are the primary purposes of government.
“Instead, the speech dwelt on the APC’s counter-productive action of disregarding the feelings and pains of the people by focusing on self-praise, claims of imaginary achievements, and empty projections in the face of the apparent and obvious failure of the APC in every aspect of governance.
“Such only reinforces public apprehension that the APC administration is uncaring and impervious to the suffering and pains of millions of Nigerians, particularly the youths whose dreams, hopes, and aspirations are being dashed by the APC”.
Ologunagba said Tinubu’s administration was failing and must be opened to new ideas to solve Nigeria’s pressing issues.
He asked the President to acknowledge the country’s crises and ”cut the size of governance, expenditure on luxury items, and free more resources for immediate intervention towards the wellbeing of Nigerians”.
