Silence is very dangerous, especially when your words can be the only source of healing at a moment —-Israelmore Ayivor, Ghanian writer.
Events around the world have shown the imminent danger of silence from leaders and its potential of having significant negative consequences within society at crucial moments like the current agitation in Nigeria over economic hardship and hunger leading to ongoing protests nationwide.
Thousands of Nigerians took to the streets on Thursday morning, 1st August 2024, joining a nationwide protest that swept across major cities and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), resulting unfortunately in killings and the destruction of properties in States like Kano, Niger, Kaduna, and Jigawa.
Organizers of the protest had given a warning notice to the government with several demands which included cuts in electricity, petrol pump and food prices, the introduction of free education, good governance, justice and constitutional reforms, transparency, accountability, and policies that prioritize the welfare of the people, and increase of the national minimum wage to N300,000 instead of the current N70,000, among other issues.
To say that President Tinubu and his team were not disturbed by the protest threat would be playing to the gallery about the seriousness of the entire challenge. One of the earliest steps taken by the President amid the planned protest was his series of engagements and dialogues with critical stakeholders at the Presidential Villa, including State Governors, the leadership of the National Assembly, traditional rulers as well as religious leaders from around the country. Members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) were also mobilized to hold town hall meetings in their respective constituencies in the States aimed at enlightening Nigerians on the several projects, programmes, and policies that the Renewed Hope government is implementing to make life better for the citizens.
There were also numerous press interviews and press conferences organized by the Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris in which he featured senior government officials, including his colleagues, to speak on the developmental actions of the administration. But, all of these, seemed inadequate, not enough to cool worrying tempers. For the organisers of the protest and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the President’s silence only showed that he does not care about the struggles of the citizens.
On Sunday, 4th August, President Tinubu finally broke his long silence three days after the protest broke out, obviously within the context of the belief that it is always better late than never. “I have heard you loud and clear. I understand the pain and frustration that drive these protests, and I want to assure you that our government is committed to listening and addressing the concerns of our citizens,” the President said in a nationwide broadcast that has since become content for analysis by close watchers of the nation’s political scenario.
Now that the President has spoken, it remains an issue of whether Nigerians who have been on the streets demanding good governance, protection, security, and welfare would listen and respect the voice of wisdom and the plea from the leader of the nation. The President says that he is deeply pained by the loss of lives in some States as well as the destruction of public facilities, and the wanton looting of private businesses, which is contrary to earlier promises by the protest organisers- the Take It Back Movement (TIB) and other civil society groups that their demonstrations would be peaceful across the country.
There is no doubt that President Tinubu is also concerned about some elements who have taken undue advantage of the current situation to threaten sections of the country, a reason that should be of worry to any meaningful Nigerian irrespective of tribe, ethnicity, or region. This underscores his remarks that “There is no place for ethnic bigotry or such threats in the Nigeria we seek to build.”
The outcome of the nationwide protest may have justified the initial fear of the government on how previous unhealthy demonstrations were hijacked and used to perpetrate unrest. “Like we have said repeatedly, this is a listening government. The President has listened to the voices of all those who are planning this protest and the message is that there is no need for it,” Tinubu told the planned protesters through his Information Minister a few days before they took to the streets.
While commiserating with the families and relations of those that died in the protests in just two days, President Tinubu who stressed that it was now time to stop further bloodshed, violence, and destruction explained that what Nigerians were currently experiencing under his leadership, was as a result of the decades of many misalignments that stunted the nation’s economic growth, and which necessitated urgent and bold decisions by his government in a manner that brings initial pains but for the good of the future of all citizens.
He said that “just over a year ago, our dear country, Nigeria, reached a point where we couldn’t afford to continue the use of temporary solutions to solve long-term problems for the sake of now and our unborn generations. I, therefore, took the painful yet necessary decision to remove fuel subsidies and abolish multiple foreign exchange systems which had constituted a noose around the economic jugular of our nation and impeded our economic development and progress.”
Globally, people fear and resist this kind of change for different reasons. For some, it could be the fear of the unknown – how such changes may affect their comfort with the status quo as well as the loss of control, and previous negative experiences which change can bring. For others, it is about poorly communicated changes that often create misunderstanding and mistrust thereby, fueling resistance.
For President Tinubu, regardless of such kind of fear, his vision for Nigeria remains one of a just and prosperous nation where each person may enjoy the peace, freedom, and meaningful livelihood that only democratic good governance can provide. On this basis, the President in his address, assured the protesters who are mostly youths that all of his government’s actions in the last one year were necessary for Nigeria to reverse the decades of economic mismanagement.
“I am focused fully on delivering the governance to the people – good governance for that matter. In the past 14 months, our government has made significant strides in rebuilding the foundation of our economy to carry us into a future of plenty and abundance,” the President announced in the televised broadcast.
According to Tinubu, it was important for the protesters to understand that several of the issues being put forward as their demands are already being addressed with the government ramping up spendings on infrastructure projects, kick-starting a loan scheme for University students and building thousands of housing units across the 36 States of the Federation. Only last week, the President signed into law the new National Minimum Wage making it possible for the lowest-earning worker in Nigeria to now receive at least, N70,000 a month as take-home pay.
It is also evident that the administration has more than doubled revenues to N9.1 trillion ($5.55bn) in the first half of this year with 68 percent of the revenue deployed to debt servicing, down from 97 percent before President Tinubu took office in May 2023.
With all that the President has assured Nigerians and the protesters, it is uncertain if they would listen to the words of wisdom and sheathe their swords of demonstration, ready for dialogue as canvassed in the presidential broadcast. “We must not let violence and destruction tear our nation apart. We must work together to build a brighter future, where every Nigerian can live with dignity and prosperity,” the President stressed.
Despite these assurances from the Nigerian leader, it appears that the organizers of the protests are yet bent on proceeding with further street demonstrations. If this eventually happens, this is where the President’s warning that “the law will catch up with you,” as it affects such individuals taking undue advantage of the unrest, will become imperative.
As the government awaits any opportunity for dialogue, security agencies in their quest to enforce law and order need to act responsibly in ensuring absolute protection of lives and property as guaranteed by the constitution. This is in line with Ttinubu’s directive which should never be misconstrued by security agencies as an order to abuse innocent citizens who may insist to go on further protests. “Our law enforcement agencies should continue to ensure the full protection of lives and properties of innocent citizens in a responsible manner,” President Tinubu said in the six-page nationwide broadcast.
Nonetheless, the protesters can as well take up the President’s offer of dialogue, and give him a second chance.
