The nationwide protests tagged #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria has not stopped trending, but gained more attention, particularly after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s address on the morning of August 4th.
While the President attempted to convey empathy and address the pressing issues facing the nation, many Nigerians felt his words fell short of addressing their genuine concerns.
President Tinubu’s Speech: A Disconnect?
In his speech, President Tinubu highlighted various initiatives, including oil production, foreign direct investments, and the compressed natural gas (CNG) initiative. However, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the 2023 Labour Party gubernatorial candidate for Lagos State, described the address as a “flaccid attempt at empathy,” stating that the administration is trapped in its propaganda. Speaking to Arise TV, Rhodes-Vivour mentioned the lack of concrete action plans and tangible solutions.
Dr Folaseye said: “I listened 3 times to see if I missed anything and I realised your president Tinubu did not address a single demand of the protesters.”
Despite the government’s mention of progress, the issue of inflation surge makes lots say otherwise. Reaching 34.19% in June 2024, high costs are driven by high food prices and energy costs.
In President Tinubu’s speech, he addressed employment initiatives through several programs aimed at supporting youth and stimulating job creation. These included the establishment of the Consumer Credit Corporation with over N200 billion to help Nigerians acquire essential products without immediate cash payments, which he said would reduce corruption and create ease for millions of households.
He also mentioned the 3 Million Technical Talents scheme under the Digital and Creative Enterprises (IDiCE) program, aimed at creating IT and technical jobs. The Skill-Up Artisans Programme (SUPA), the Nigerian Youth Academy (NIYA), and the National Youth Talent Export Programme (NATEP) were introduced as part of his administration’s initiatives to enable young people and create employment opportunities.
As seen in the disruption of Kano ICT Park, however, the effectiveness of these initiatives in addressing Nigeria’s high unemployment rate depends on resolving the root problems such as insecurity, lack of food and education, inadequate infrastructure, and economic instability that continue to hinder job creation efforts.
As of the latest data, Nigeria’s unemployment rate is counting in mllions, with more than 40% of the population living below the poverty line. While these programs look good at addressing employment, their capacity to greatly reduce unemployment depends on successful implementation, scalability, and the ability to match the skills provided with the needs of the job market.
Social media platforms have been hot on this topic, with citizens feeling the President’s address did not adequately address the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests demands.
Anonymous NG said the speech failed to address key demands such as the arrest of officers responsible for killing protesters, reducing government costs, and reversing education and fuel subsidy cuts. Instead, it highlighted unverifiable achievements, leading to further outrage among the people.
Responses that followed pointed out the absence of discussion on issues such as refineries and the transmission of election votes, while another noted the lack of mention of insecurity affecting farmers.
“Nothing about refineries or IREV transmission of election votes. Only paragraph 30 which is on agriculture makes sense. But it’s just a promise. Imagine talking about housing in Abuja where about 60% of the estates are empty. Mtchew”
“Neither did he mention insecurity which is preventing our farmers from going to their farm”
Inibehe Effiong described the speech as “a pack of empty words” and “a time-wasting load of irrelevancies.” He pointed out the political class for being “intentionally deaf and willfully blind” to the sufferings of Nigerians. He stated that President Tinubu is disconnected from the realities of everyday Nigerians, living in an “imaginary Nigeria.”
Effiong further noted that the President failed to address specific demands, such as electoral reform and reversing economic policies. The speech was seen as ignoring the needs of the masses and offering no concessions or credible dialogue mechanisms.
Inibehe Effiong described the address as a collection of empty words, highlighting the disconnect between the administration and the lived realities of Nigerians.
The responses that followed included accusations of the President of obfuscating real issues and failing to understand the seriousness of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests. There were calls for renewed mobilisation and demands for a more direct engagement with the President, including suggestions for a press conference titled “One on One with Tinubu.”
“Very adeptly ignored the specific demands of the people and generalised it in a way that obfuscated the real issue,” a user wrote.
“President Tinubu doesn’t think that we are serious. He is obviously looking down on us the masses.
From Monday, we shall mobilise massively and speak in the loudest voices.”
“This speech is very embarrassing, insensitive to the plight of suffering & hungry Nigerians.
If the Nigerian people demanding End to Bad Governance in Nigeria withdraws because of this speech, then all the good efforts made in the past 3 days & the fallen heroes amount to nothing.”
“It’s uncalled for I think there is need for a press conference tagged
One on one with Tinubu!!!!!!!!”
The #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests demands, such as reducing fuel prices, improving security, and implementing electoral reforms, contrast with the government’s speech on economic recovery.
The emphasis on long-term economic policies does not align with the immediate needs of Nigerians struggling with inflation, unemployment, and insecurity. This disconnect makes more visible the challenge for the government in bridging the gap between policy pronouncements and tangible improvements in citizens’ lives.
Same Old Stories!!! But for How Long Shall We Continue
Nigeria’s economy reportedly suffered a loss of over ₦500 billion in just one day. This massive economic blow is attributed to the widespread disruption of business activities, the imposition of curfews in several states, and the general atmosphere of instability that has gripped the nation.
Again, in the last 72 hours or so, goods worth no less than ₦6 million were affected. The Nigeria Police Force also noted that it arrested at least 681 protesters, excluding journalists.
According to NPF records, 44 people were arrested in Abuja, 17 in Gombe, 75 in Jigawa, 24 in Kaduna, 326 in Kano, 7 in Katsina, 50 in Nasarawa, and 81 in Sokoto.
People seem to be tired of old fables that do not bring practical, measurable, and clear-cut results. The leadership has spoken, and all we can do for now is expect action-oriented results.
There have been various ideas regarding the presidential speech. The overall summation is that President Tinubu’s address neither takes into account the demands of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests nor provides a clear path to the future the nation or her citizens envision.
But what are the demands of the protesters, and by extension, the masses? A cut in the size of government, a return of the petrol subsidy regime, food security, fiscal discipline, government intervention in the skyrocketing price of goods and services, and an end to insecurity, among others.
A close look at the Presidential address seems not to touch on these critical issues specifically, nor does it appear that the masses are pleased with the government’s response.
For us, what led to the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests is a set of interconnected issues the government seems to be neglecting, such as the insecurity challenge and its effects on agriculture and the economy at large.
According to a report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), prices of food and basic items have skyrocketed, hitting over 250% in one year. Data from the latest Food Price Watch from the NBS showed that the price of beans soared by 252% between June 2023 and June 2024.
The prices of major staple foods in Nigeria, such as beans, yam, potato, plantain, and tomato, rose by over 250% in the last year. A year-on-year comparative analysis indicates the average price of 1 kg of brown beans stood at ₦2,292.76, representing a 252.13% increase from ₦651.12 in June 2023 and a 14.11% increase month-on-month from ₦2,009.23 in May 2024.
Tomatoes also saw significant price increases, rising by 320.67% year-on-year from ₦547.28 in June 2023 to ₦2,302.26 in June 2024. On a month-on-month basis, the average price of tomatoes increased by 55.59% from ₦1,479.69 in May 2024. There are more alarming data and figures depicting how our naira is becoming useless, thereby reducing the purchasing power of the masses.
Furthermore, Nigeria’s insecurity challenge has grown beyond the activities of Boko Haram into a hydra-headed monster that is chronic in many areas, exacerbated by rising inflation and worsening unemployment.
Nigeria is currently dealing with a variety of security issues, including banditry, kidnapping, farmer-herder clashes, livestock rustling, separatist agitations, and the continuous insurgency of Boko Haram. The situation has deteriorated substantially, with most incidents occurring in the middle belt and northern Nigeria, which represent the country’s farming belt.
But what has been the response to this challenge? We leave you to provide suitable answers, but what is evident is that if appropriate, not cosmetic, action had been taken, we would have breathed a sigh of relief by now. Instead, we are grateful and count as an achievement the reception of 25,000 tonnes of wheat from war-torn Ukraine and the removal of stamp duty on food for some months.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s wheat production has been so dismal that for a decade, the country only managed to produce about two percent of all the wheat it consumed.
At approximately 2.5 million metric tons, Nigerian wheat production is not great for a country that prides itself as Africa’s giant. For comparison, Pakistan is the eighth largest wheat-producing country in the world, with an annual production of around 24 million metric tons. Nigeria doesn’t even make it into the first 20 largest wheat-producing countries in the world.
Another central issue akin to the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests demands is the removal of the fuel subsidy and its unquantifiable effect on the masses. While the government has proven to the masses that the years of “Father Christmas” are gone, Nigerians have yet to see in practical terms the benefits of these reforms, which seem like waiting in vain.
While the debate over the subsidy has been laid to rest, it is public knowledge with evidence that it has found its way back into the economy. So, “who is fooling who?”
We must also mention the fact that the masses seem unclear about why they must bear the brunt of the challenges and reforms bedevilling the economy at all times. Leadership is supposed to be by example, in practical terms.
If this is so, the extremely expensive democracy we operate as a country needs to be interrogated. The undefined personal assistants with unspecified job descriptions and advisers to advisers must go. These, among others, may convince the masses that we are on the path to success as a nation.
Our “Kobo” Advice
We appeal to the government to return to the fundamentals of policymaking, emphasising immediate and remote measures. All that has been seen thus far seems futuristic and looks good, but with many gaps in reality and sometimes skewness towards policy somersault.
The masses deserve to see the price of garri, rice, beans, nkwobi, ekpang nkukwo, tuwo shinkafa, vegetable soup, and ogbono soup reduced drastically. We also demand an end to long queues in our respective filling stations and a more practical approach to addressing insecurity, inflation, and other teething problems staring us in the face.
Nigeria Shall Succeed!
