Netizens have reacted to President Bola Tinubu’s nationwide broadcast on Sunday, describing it as hollow, provocative and failed to address the demands of protesters across the country.
The President had addressed the nation amid #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests, which began on August 1.
Below are some of the comments by Netizens:
Dele Momodu via his X handle , wrote, “Fellow Nigerians, good morning. After the long-awaited speech of President Bola Tinubu eventually came this morning, I’m sure most of you would be as stupefied as me. I must confess that I had little hope of Tinubu granting some concessions to the aggrieved Nigerians. As a man who has held an iron grip on Lagos State for the last 25 years, it would be difficult for him to change a winning formula that has worked for him ever since.Also, what did we expect his advisers to be telling him when most of them have been his most fanatical cronies from Lagos who have learnt never to challenge the master? So it was merely wishful thinking on the part of incurable optimists like me to think he was going to have mercy on hapless and seemingly helpless Nigerians.”
Chief Sunnie Chukwumelie: ”It’s good that President Tinubu finally, listened to the voice of reasoning and now made this broadcast. In times of national crisis, a leader must be seen, heard & not hiding or mute. I’ve carefully, read his speech. My impression is that it lacks coherence & failed to address the current & critical issues of the moment- HUNGER & RISING COSTS OF BASIC FOOD ITEMS. His speech merely, regurgitates the mundane administrative programs of his government which have fallen short of expectations and haven’t helped to ignite confidence in his government. I still don’t understand why he has refused to shove away majority of his cabinet team who are mostly, lackluster! Keeping his rickety cabinet intact is a sign that nothing will change in both the short & long term”.
~Stephen Okodudu: “Little or nothing to bring immediate succour to Nigerians after one year and four months in office. Most of the presidents’ speech is still largely stated in anticipated promises of what is to come. These are not the kind of vacuous promises Nigerians want to hear from a government that has been in office in the last 14 months. The President said nothing about cardinal issues such as:The cost of governance, Reduction in the size of the Cabinet, Nothing on restructuring of the country to return it to full Federal Republic, There is no definite action against those who are engaged in ethnic baiting in practical terms, etc. The broadcast is just mere verbiage that is devoid of any practical action that could bring immediate succour to Nigerians. The speech spoke volumes about the disconnect between citizens and their leaders. It is very superficial in most respect”.
~Goldenrock Bv Limited: ”It was a shame and a hollow broadcast like we anticipated, he didn’t fail to vindicate some of us int this. All were subterfuge used to stop protest nothing sincere and exemplary to change anything. Meanwhile, the wastefulness of the government continues.Tinubu failed to address the real issues that are very basic in maintaining national security in the country. Food is a very easential ingredient of national security and the president of a country failed to spot such. If I were him, the focus would have been security in the north to guarantee food supply but he and his members do not care. Now the shit has hit the fan. Even in his broadcast, he failed to address this core issue with a sustainable policy plan. Like he said to a confidant prior to the election, he has no plans but simply to win election. So, after he grabbed it, he has no idea what to do with it. That is why we are where we are right now. NO PLANS, Automatically planned to fail. It is simply a ploy to stop the protest just like Buhari did, once the protest is over he will raise his middle finger to them and continue with business as usual”.
~Chukwudi Akasike: ”It shows one thing; the President is saying he was never prepared for the task of a President. He only want to be president to swell his CV. The speech did not address the reason for the current economic collapse. He impressed that he achieved removal of subsidies has increased revenue to N9tn. Why then is hunger reaching the worst level in the history of Nigeria? Why is it that more than half of the population are now beggars? To me, that broadcast was empty and brings forth no renewed hope”.
~Temple: ”Honestly that speech? Is certainly not for us with our demands. Are you sure PBAT heard or saw our demands? He certainly had nothing to say” .
~Loveday Jaja: ”There is nothing in Tinubu broadcast ,let the protests continue”.
~WJ Graham: ” Who did the President dialogue with before he hastily ranke off the fuel subsidy that has exposed Nigerians to untold hardship?. Can’t he address specifics? Does he need to sit down with you to address the simple demands of the protesters. He’s full of arrogance and of course gross incompetence, insensitive… Address with no substance at all, in fact the address is extremely provocative… God must purnish these our unrepentant leaders in life or in death because God cannot afford to apologise to King Nebuchadnezzar. The President or government is not sincere at all. The demands of the protesters are very clear, well known and experienced by more 90% of Nigerians. The President if sincere doesn’t need to sit down with anyone to address the obvious issues clearly articulated by Nigerians. The government is evil, insensitive without conscience. Will you as a parent allow your child to go sit down with devil in the name of dialogue? If the government or the President is honest let him address specifics: he doesn’t need to sit down with anyone afterall he never dialogued with anyone before he arrogantly and in the most incompetent manner took off the fuel subsidy that initiated untold hardship”.
~Kabiru: ”The demands of the protesters are clear, the next thing for Mr President to have done was to go straight to addressed the issue but to dialogue with who? How many people will represent the number of people that took part in the protest? Only if it’s true that they were sponsored then the actors can now appear for dialogue”.
~Okachikwu Dibia: ”If this address is from our President, he tried. But it appears our President doesn’t live in Nigeria. If he lives here, then the issues that triggered the protest needed deeper attention. Mr President, the one and singular problem is the price per liter of fuel. It is this price that rose from N187 per liter early last year to now N900 per liter that is our number one life crusher. It led to unimaginable increase in price of all goods and services in Nigeria. To reduce this price is not through subsidy, it must be through actions on the supply end: get our refineries to refine our crude oil into pms and sell fuel at N100 per liter and see if prices of almost all goods and services in the country will not crash like pack of cards. President Tinubu, tackle and reduce government expenditure, stop spending in billions for almost all expenditure in the state house. Be prudent. My President, tell yourself that the entire cost of governance at all levels and arms of government must reduce now now now. Mr President, can you tackle corruption in government? If you can’t, leave it and face fuel price and cost of government and if you succeed, you don’t need any babalawo or World Bank to see the positive effects on Nigerians. On youths and unemployment, Sir, government is not a good employer of labour. Forget about industries to come, get existing industries whose factories have been shut down to fire back now now now. Get our textile industries back, arrest and prosecute all the devils making Ajaokuta Steel not working to get out in Jesus or Mohammed name amen. Get all the steel rolling mills back to life now now now. Quickly get all the river basin development authorities to work now now now. At the expense of repetition, use the next 6 months and get all our refineries work instantly. With these done, go home and sleep with your two eyes well closed, open them the next morning and see the same Nigerian youths protesting now, will all dogbale for you in praise and worship. Good morning Sir”.
Dr Obiageli ‘Oby’ Ezekwesili @officialABAT wrote: ”As one of 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 their ALL Citizens behind the common purpose of nationbuilding. 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. Citizens know when they are being badly governed and from what one can see, Nigerians have now realized 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”.