After persistent appeals to shelve the 10-day hunger protest proposed by the Nigerian youths by government and other relevant stakeholders including traditional rulers, clerics and organised private sector, the protest went ahead as scheduled but violently, as feared by many Nigerians. In my article published by different newspapers including Blueprint entitled “Protest: A note of caution” I opined that any protest without coordinating leadership can be hijacked by hoodlums and the enemies of state to cause anarchy.
This was what exactly happened on Thursday, August 1. The long awaited protests organised by Nigerian youths in response to poverty and hunger in the land were suddenly hijacked by street urchins and turned bloody. In Kano state, there were reported cases of looting and burning of government buildings as well as carting away valuable items by hoodlums. Besides Kano, other states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) witnessed violent protests resulting in the loss of lives and destruction of properties.
Whether the planned 10-day protest is being funded by the opposition or infiltrated by foreign mercenaries as alleged by government, the truth remains that the twin policies of fuel subsidy removal and floating of naira are the trigger of the cost of living crisis in the country. Since the removal of fuel subsidy on 29th May, last year, prices of goods and services have continued to soar beyond the reach of the average Nigerian.
Currently, food inflation has stubbornly defied government’s measures and risen to all record high of 40.8%. The removal of subsidy came at a the wrong time when 133 million Nigerians are already in multi-dimensional poverty. The menace of insecurity has contributed significantly to the high rate of inflation with many farming communities being sacked by rapacious bandits.
The Dangote ambitious 650,000bpd capacity refinery, which will address fuel scarcity, reduce importation and provide stable forex supply to the economy, has become a subject of needless controversy between the business conglomerate and government regulatory agencies. It took the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to calm frayed nerves.
In what appeared to be cheering news from the petroleum sector, President Tinubu, who doubles as the minister of petroleum resources, directed that Dangote and other local refineries should receive stock feeds (crude oil) in naira.
But not for the violence that unfortunately marred the supposedly peaceful protest, Nigerian youths who flooded the streets in their thousands to protest against hunger have a genuine demand for government to consider.
While protest is a constitutional right, caution should have been exercised to avoid destruction of lives and properties as witnessed. The protesters should not have taken cover under their human rights to infringe the rights of others. It has also been observed with dismay, how some security agents used live ammunition to disperse protesters.
Amnesty International and many similar organisations frowned at the conduct of security agents during the protest, particularly the use of brute force.
President Tinubu’s speech against hunger protest broadcast live on Sunday failed to address the lingering issues raised by the protesting youths. One had expected Mr President to talk about insecurity in the North; how it has affected food production and the efforts of his government to return the displaced farming communities to their ancestral homes.
Nigerians had expected President Tinubu to talk about fixing our four moribund money guzzling refineries which would have crashed fuel price if they were operational. However, the president took time to explain his government’s reforms in critical sectors of the economy and why Nigerians should exercise patience. Nevertheless, President Tinubu should review his policies to reflect public interest and yield the desired results
Ibrahim Mustapha,
Pambegua, Kaduna state
08169056963
