In his August 4 early morning broadcast, President Tinubu began by expressing that he spoke with a heavy heart. However, he quickly shifted to condemning the protests, asserting that his government would not allow a few individuals with political agendas to destabilize the nation.Â
Human rights activist and lawyer Tope Temokun criticized this approach, stating that the president’s remarks are deeply troubling. According to Temokun, the president’s failure to acknowledge the severe hunger and hardship faced by many Nigerians under his administration is a sign of insensitivity and neglect.
“This statement is sad, too sad. It shows the president has not come to terms with the fact that his citizens are struggling to survive excruciating hunger under his government. This aspect smacks of malice, insensitivity, and a lack of responsibility to the citizens. In fact, the broadcast is an indictment on the protesters, suggesting that the protest wasn’t a genuine response of reasonable youths who are truly hungry but just the handiwork of a few with political agendas. The most dangerous liars are those who think they are telling the truth,” Temokun remarked.
Temokun emphasized that President Tinubu’s portrayal of the protests as politically motivated undermines the genuine grievances of citizens who are struggling to survive. He argued that dismissing the protests in such a manner indicates a disconnect between the president and the people’s suffering. “This makes me weep that I belong to a nation in which, when people come out in hunger and frustration to cry for solutions for survival, their president would merely and briskly tag their cries as just the handiwork of a few with political agendas. It shows the president didn’t feel our pain,” he added.
Additionally, Temokun highlighted that President Tinubu’s call for protesters to suspend their strike and engage in dialogue did not address the immediate concerns of the citizens. “The president said further that he hereby enjoined the protesters to suspend their strike and create room for dialogue, without speaking directly to our pain and alleviating the citizens by telling us what the price of bread will be tomorrow, what fuel stations will sell per liter of fuel tomorrow, and whether the price of yam will go down in the market going forward. All of the economic postulations he piled up in that speech are nothing new; they are the routine government old stories, and they are not any assurance to the protesting youths that their pain would be assuaged as soon as possible,” Temokun pointed out.
Overall, Temokun labeled the president’s speech as a failure, criticizing it for not addressing the urgent needs and frustrations of the nation’s youth. “In all, the speech is a failure! It did not speak to the angry and hungry youths of a nation crying to live,” Temokun concluded.