Tinubu blames opposition parties as if people can’t think for themselves
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Bola Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused opposition parties of instigating the protests which began in Minna on Monday and quickly spread to Kano and Osogbo over the growing hardship across the country, with citizens lamenting they cannot feed well or pay their children’s school fees, among other grouses.
The APC, speaking for the President, said opposition parties – referring mainly to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) – are doing it to give the impression the current administration is under-performing.
Accusing opposition parties gives the impression that ordinary citizens are daft and cannot feel or reason for themselves.
The hunger protests actually began in Tinubu’s home state of Lagos in December 2023 when residents besieged his convoy chanting, “We are hungry,” “We are hungry”, as the convoy drove him to the mosque on Nnamdi Azikiwe Street.
This story was widely reported in the print media, on television, and on social media, including the blogs.
Tinubu did not stop to personally address the protesters. And at the time, he could not, and did not, blame opposition parties for this embarrassment his own people inflicted on him.
Tinubu went into hiding in Paris on January 24, claiming to be on a private trip which was not officially recognised by the French government. He returned on February 6 after two weeks of abandoning his job.
Both Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Peter Obi of the LP have criticised Tinubu’s handling of the economy, particularly for removing fuel subsidy without proper planning to stave off the consequences of high transport costs with multiplier effects on the prices of goods and services.
When Atiku about two weeks ago reiterated the dire straits of the economy, Tinubu unleashed his attack dog Bayo Onanuga to vilify the man while lying about or dodging the main issues Atiku raised – a tactic Onanuga has been using since the presidential campaign last year.
Obi and other critics have also, among others,
- Cited Tinubu’s failure to reduce the overall cost of governance to free up funds to invest in social infrastructure that would bring down the cost of living.
- Knocked him for failing to genuinely tackle corruption that festers in the political class and in the public service.
- Noted his incompetence in tackling insecurity that prevents farmers from planting seeds and reaping harvests to reduce food prices.
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Uproar in Minna, Kano, Osogbo
The uproar in Minna began on Monday when women and youths resented what they saw as mass purchase of food items for hoarding and export outside the country.
National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Senate President Akinteye Babatunde added fuel when he threatened in a statement that students would embark on street protests if the federal government fails to address inflation that has impoverished students across the country.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Wasiu Abiodun, a Superintendent of Police, said the police “had to use minimum force to disperse the protesters when all efforts to convince them to stop their action failed.”
The situation was similar in Osogbo, Osun where residents cried out over worsening hardship in the country, calling on Tinubu and Governors to act fast in fixing the battered economy.
They lamented they could barely eat daily as the cost of food items has been rising every day, and warned that citizens may be forced to hit the streets in protest soon if nothing is done to bring succour.
Kano Governor Abba Yusuf lamented that many residents in his state are living in misery, amid starvation and acute hunger, adding that inflation has outpaced incomes, resulting in deaths, as several people cannot cope with the rising cost of living.
APC pretends hungry Nigerians can’t think for themselves
But APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka in a statement advised Nigerians to be vigilant and not be gullible to the treacherous attempt by opposition parties to promote social strife through incendiary rhetoric and manipulative plots.
“In its arrant desperation to portray the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration as under-performing, opposition parties have resorted to instigating unsuspecting young people to protests in the streets of some major cities,” Morka said.
“The protests in Minna and Kano on Monday were the manifestation of this devious and unpatriotic plot. That the protests happened simultaneously in both cities is not coincidental.
“It bears a bold stamp of an orchestrated and coordinated effort to instigate unrest and undermine the government. This mercenary opposition tactic is a clear and present threat to public peace and national security.
“While we recognize the right of citizens to engage in peaceful protest, we urge our good people to be vigilant and not lend themselves to the treacherous attempt by the opposition to promote social strife by its incendiary rhetoric and manipulative plots.
“The President Bola Tinubu-led administration is solidly committed to doing everything in its power to mitigate the transient pains of critically important reforms that are crucial to economic recovery and sustainable prosperity for all Nigerians.
“It behoves us as good citizens of our beloved country to stand fast with our government in this noble stride. In due time, these policy reforms will yield enduring beneficial transformation of the material conditions of life in the country.
“We implore Nigerians to shun the guile and unpatriotic attempt by opposition elements to destabilize the country for their own base and parochial political gains.”