Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili has said President Bola Tinubu’s broadcast speech regarding the nationwide protest was underwhelming.
In a nationwide broadcast on Sunday, the President 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.
In an X post on Sunday, Ezekwesili said Tinubu’s speech was a monumental missed opportunity to placate citizens with sound answers and outline of convincing evidence-based actions.
The former minister added 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”.
She wrote, “@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 that have killed and maimed citizens during the protest to serve as deterrents to others.
She added, “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 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”.
