The President’s address: bullets for bread?

By Bolaji O. Akinyemi.

#EndBadGovernanceInNigeria Protests address by President Tinubu is generating a lot of reactions as expected. The twist to the whole episode is coming from a quarter from which such is not expected. Professor Wole Soyinka is a staunch supporter of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and he is sympathetic to what has become the fate of Tinubu’s 14 month plus old administration.

It was President John F. Kennedy who said; “the war against hunger is truly mankind’s war of liberation”. Professor Wole Soyinka is in alignment with the philosophy of the late US President, where hunger exists there is a war for which all of mankind must enlist in the army to fight against. This, the respected Nobel laureate applied to justify the anger of citizens and approved of their rights to protest. in his words, “hunger marches constitute a universal S.O.S, not peculiar to the Nigerian nation”. The Prof wasn’t economical with words at describing his disappointment of how the security agencies under Tinubu’s command has handled the situation in the past four days, his words; “the serving of bullets where bread is pleaded is ominous retrogression and we know what that eventually proves a prelude to a far more desperate upheaval not excluding REVOLUTION, (emphasis mine). Is the Prof planning to jump on the protest to provide leadership for an imminent revolution against his long time ally? A friend asked me while we were discussing the President speech. Am really not certain, my response, but the President must be worried if his covenant friend and brother can use such strong words to ventilate his anger of his handling of the protest.

I am compelled by the position of many a friend of Mr President to caution him and throw in my candid though unsolicited advice.

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one hasn’t dinned well- Virginia Woolf.

The critical needs of our nation at this material time are captured in Woolf’s quote, we need citizens of women and men, young and old, who slept well the night before each day, waking up energised to love each other and the country. Armies of thinkers who will create the way out of our national doldrums. Unfortunately, the quarters of our population might have gone to bed yesterday without dinning well. Where will the mental energy to renew our hope come from or the physical strength to get to work and make our hopes a reality.

Now that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has spoken to us on Sunday, August 4, sequel to the ongoing hardship protests across Nigeria; Let me simply say it is better late than never, “at all at all na hin bad”.

What can we make of the President speech?

The leakage of the text of the speech is inconsequential, it is a protocol in Communication, we shouldn’t get into much ado about nothing!

The protests scheduled for August 1-10 tagged:#EndBadGovernanceInNigeria started as scheduled and has left a loss of 17 lives, wanton destruction of property worth millions of naira, vandalisation and looting in its wake. It also grounded several business activities.

On Saturday, photos and videos of protesters in Kano waving the Russian flag went viral as the demonstrators chanted in Hausa, “We don’t want bad government.”

Those who are worried about the Russian flag should rest their liver, the support of Nigeriens in the reelection of Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 should conclude the thinking of Kano along same lines with citizens of Niger Republic. Kano’s Nigerians are ancestral cousin of today’s Nigeriens. They probably borrowed the flags from the cousins and our neighbours. This however must not be left under the ceiling of the Villa while the President goes to bed.

As far as I am concerned and like many right thinking Nigerians, the address was long over due because, the president should have addressed the nation before the protests, having seen the writing on the wall, after the incessant announcements by the organisers.

However, thank God he finally gave us something to talk about, as hollow as the speech seems to many, at least it has changed the dynamics of public discussion. That is what any people oriented-president would do at a time that the people are crying loudly over the dehumanizing hardship bedeviling them and want to be heard by their leader.

In one of my interviews in an online media outlet which I granted two days ago, I had suggested that the president should address the nation because I felt that it was the right thing to do at a very crucial time.
No sooner the interview hit the news waves on Saturday, August 3 then the president addressed the country on Sunday morning on August 4.

My suggestion symbolized a prophecy which came to pass.
In the interview, I had stressed that the president needed to talk to the nation as a way of proving to them that he had heard the people cry.
Silence shows lack of concern. Like it or not, the speech has slowed down the dynamics of the protest for Sunday the 4th of August, by the way of let’s hear what he want to say. Public Influencers’ analysis and opinions will determine what today Monday the 5th of August 2024 will look like, interestingly my 58th birthday. I hope and pray that no death will be recorded in the protest anywhere in the country today.

Is our anger really justified?

Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured- Mark Twain.

In one of the many news clips that I watched on the protest, a protester responding to an interview said, “I am here because we can no longer buy things in the market”.

What a misplacement of anger, against a President whose policy preference was very clear ever before he became the President. Who as the National party leader advice the then President to reduce the purchasing power of the masses.

His address, though a bit belated, could exemplify him as a listening president, depending on the divide you belong having promised to actualise policies capable of reforming the economy with a view to ensuring the end of not only the protests but also the hardship.

In the address, Tinubu highlighted several issues that are of utmost concerns which call for examination as to fulfilment of the purposes.

His condolences and call for peace over lives lost during the protests is a show of his concern for life and peace.
“I commiserate with the families and relations of those who have died in the protests. We must stop further bloodshed, violence and destruction,” Tinubu stated. This however was taken with a pinch of salt by those who share Prof Soyinka’s view of his failure to give specific instructions to security agencies at handling the protest for peace.
This is commendable but he must do his best to avoid repeat of such sorrow and condolences.

Also, his call for suspension of the protests and demonstrations to engage in dialogue with the government could be considered as a testament of his readiness to listen to the people and to proffer solutions.
He was however silent on the template of engagement. I will strongly advice him is to initiate processes for the actualisation of the dialogue and a mere promise.

Economic reforms are also a very important aspect highlighted by the president. It is crystal-clear that unrealistic economic policies landed us in these harrowing crises.
It is against this backdrop that he promptly responded by removing taxes and import duties as soon as the protest took a chaotic dimension as the “first aid” to the ills of hardship. There are many more policies that led to the hardship that he has to still suspend.

He, however, defended his decision to remove fuel subsidies to reform the foreign exchange system, insisting that the actions were necessary to “reverse the decades of economic mismanagement.”

The decision may be ok, but if the fuel subsidy removal does not reflect economic realities capable of making life meaningful to the people, it’s meaningless; and if it must stay, it should be reviewed through transition. It should be a gradual process. It’s the impromptu removal of the subsidy that is the root of the economic hardship that the country is facing now. This is because we were not prepared for it and that is why it has taken us unawares, leaving us in trauma and regret.

The main reason that the people cannot feel immediate impacts of the subsidy removal is that, they are long time, whereas, people need short term results. The first impact that people need is food on their tables, cheap transport costs, goods and services.

But the government is claiming to be injecting the windfall from the subsidy into infrastructure, which many people cannot see nor access.

As the president ensures that fuel subsidy windfall is channelled to infrastructure, he should ensure that part of the whopping amount is channelled into food production and security as well as other goods and services to reduce the high costs that led to the hardship.

He also spoke on the fiscal improvements and economic progress, stating, “Aggregate government revenues have more than doubled, hitting over N9.1 trillion in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023.”
This is commendable and should be sustained.

Infrastructure Development: The President mentioned ongoing major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto-Badagry Highway. The president should also ensure that these spreads around all the states, especially the small states which need more development.

Oil and Gas Sector Revival: They reported an increase in oil production to 1.61 million barrels per day and renewed investor interest in the sector. This tempo must be increased through support for Dangote Refinery which has assumed a frontline position to solve the country’s perennial fuel crisis.

The Compressed Natural Gas Initiative by the government launched to power transportation and reduce costs, with plans to distribute a million conversion kits is a right step in the right direction. If there is any time that the initiative will see the light of day, it should be now. Actualizing it, is one of the quickest ways to meeting the demands of the protesters. Nigerians want to see the reality soonest

The president’s Youth Empowerment Programmes also calls for commendation. It’s proof that he has the youth at heart. He should actualise the several initiatives, including the student loan scheme, Digital and Creative Enterprises programme, and various skill development schemes.
But the question is; can all Nigerians access the benefits? Efforts should be out in place to enjoy fairness and equity in the sharing of the benefits to avoid complaints of marginalisation.

Housing Projects: The President announced plans to complete 100,000 housing units over the next three years as part of the Renewed Hope City and Estate initiative. This is a good effort but how soon the project would be completed is left to be seen. If completed, the government should make the price affordable to the poor and should not be hijacked by the rich who are ready to pay any amount no matter the exorbitant rate. It is better to initiate housing loans for people so that the poor can obtain it and build houses for themselves.

Food Security Measures: Tinubu revealed plans to boost food production, including the removal of tariffs on certain food items and the distribution of farming equipments. The earlier this is actualized the better for the masses. That is the quickest way that the president can proffer solution to the hunger that triggered the ongoing protests.

For urging unity and patience by saying: “Let us work together to build a brighter future for ourselves and for generations to come. Let us choose hope over fear, unity over division, and progress over stagnation,” the president has demonstrated empathy and commitment to the wellbeing of the nation and the people.

I also urge him, as many Nigerians too may deem fit, to actualise all the promises he has made. He shouldn’t allow his address to be mere gimmicks or paper tigers. He should prove that he is a man of his words because promises are not solutions. Solution is the only way to go.

For now, Nigerian youths are with Burna Boy. The speech of the President is an explanation over explanation without evidence, and evidence is all that the people want to see.