₦airaland Forum

If you were genuinely in support and was following the news then you should’ve known that the protest was organic as Nigerians in the northern states were protesting because of the economic situation they are going through…. It has nothing to do with El Rufai or any imam, the government even tried to use prominent northern political and religious figures to influence protesters but it failed…

madone:
I was in support of the protest untill i saw the handwriting of the northern politicians. El rufai and the rest. Thy probably think they will use this protest to make Nigeria ungovernable for Tinubu but it failed. If the president made that statement above then it is not targeted at Nigerians.

Another bot comment, I’ve read this comment on several threads….

Salewa97:
Nigerians need to realize that protests alone won't fix our problems. Instead of blaming Tinubu, we should focus on building unity and pushing for real change through constructive dialogue. It's time to move past tribal sentiments and work together for a better Nigeria.

I still don’t know why bots are allowed to participate in this online forum?

Philipponzaghi:
Nigerians are resilient, and the low turnout just shows that many still trust Tinubu’s vision for our future. Instead of protesting, let’s focus on supporting policies that uplift us all. Unity in purpose will yield greater results than division. Change takes time, but with patience and cooperation, we will get there!

You @helinues are part of problem, must you comment on every post….?

helinues:
Next time make una dey listen. Not only low battery should be taken seriously

Before the nationwide protest that started on August 1st, I made a post titled “RECAP: August Nationwide Protest, My Final Case For An Interim Government” in which I appealed to Nigerians to capitalize on the protests to demand for changes that will benefit them in the long run. I made a case for the establishment of an interim government that will be given a mandate of 2 years to implement constitutional, economic and political reforms demanded by Nigerians. I had reiterated in my previous post that only an interim caretaker government can salvage the country because Tinubu’s government is irredeemably corrupt, undemocratic and incapable of implementing any economic or political reforms demanded by protesters. This is evident as we all witnessed how the government dealt mercilessly with protesters by instructing police men and soldiers to intimidate and shoot unarmed protesters killing over 30 people. Instead of listening to Nigerians, Tinubu chose to kill them. There is no doubt that this government is insensitive and extremely callous, as it seeks to impose it’s will forcefully to silence Nigerians who are on the brink of hopelessness due to widespread economic crisis caused by Tinubu’s failed policies.

The low turn out of Nigerians for the protest especially in the southern states shows that many Nigerians are still not ready to move this country forward. They are not yet tired of Tinubu’s evil government. It was unfortunate that many Nigerians especially in the south western and south eastern states chose to play tribal politics over their future, they chose to jeopardize the protest by demonizing those protesting instead of them to join the protest, they allowed tribal hate and sentiments to becloud their minds. Nigerians are simply wasting their time and future of their children if they still believe that Tinubu is capable of fixing this terrible economy or fighting corruption to bring about any positive change. When Nigerians are really tired of the effects of bad governance there won’t be a date set for protest or time to insult each other over tribalism, everyone will be on the streets. Until then, going forward, I’ve decided not to take any negative comments I read online criticizing this government seriously, the failure of this nationwide protest to achieve even one goal has shown that majority of Nigerians are not serious people and many of those commenting online insulting the government are only pretending to dislike Tinubu’s actions as their unwillingness to protest is an endorsement that they are happy with the government.

For now, nothing has changed as Tinubu and his looting associates are laughing at Nigerians…. We will continue to face the consequences of this evil government until we are genuinely angry about what is happening in our country and fight against injustice…. until we learn to accept truth instead of lies, until we learn to respect each other’s tribe, when this happens, I hope by that time, it will not be too late for Nigerians….

You’re active on several threads posting same comments in defense of the government….. Seem you’re a bot….

trutharena:
Nigerians are exercising their democratic rights, and it's a sign of engagement. However, it's essential for our leaders to listen and address the concerns raised. TINUBU's administration should seize this opportunity to show commitment to progress and unity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16log99RZfg
Protesters breach Zamfara government house….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYFrNPx5IBI
Nigerians take protests to mansions of politicians….

Funny, you’ve made the same post on several threads like a robot…. Does Nairaland now support bot comment generator apps?

trutharena:
Nigerians are resilient and united in support of our president, TINUBU. It's clear that we have a leader who prioritizes our nation's interests above all else. Let's focus on building our country rather than comparing it to others. TINUBU is here to bring about the positive change we all crave.

@Philipponzaghi where is your conscience? Is it still there?

Philipponzaghi:
Nonsense post.

Titus Sardine price is just a reflection of global trends, not solely Tinubu's doing. Let’s focus on the bigger picture and support our leaders instead of spreading negativity.

A vicious cycle that benefits no one, the harsh economic situation Nigerians are going through knows no tribe, political ideology or religion….

chopnaira:
Lots of words, but Bangladesh is not Nigeria.

Bengalis are 99% of Bangladeshi's population and Bangladesh is 91% Islamic.

In Nigeria, it's all tribal politics, religious bigotry, and power tussle between various tribes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FeemmRmiEY

A monster is haunting Nigeria, the monster of harmful policies and bad governance.

The history of prosperous societies is never complete without incorporating the history of protests. Nigeria is not new to this. We have done it with the colonial masters and even the military dictators. In present day Nigeria, it is the incumbent government against the oppressed citizens. And it is the latter alone that can demand change.

Since their rise to power a decade ago, the APC government has imposed harmful neo-liberal policies, mostly proposed by the Bretton Woods institutions. The IMF and World Bank advisers will not dare propose such policies in their respective home countries. The policies have brought nothing but economic hardship to Nigerians. But it is unfair to solely blame these agencies, as they are only looking out for their own interests and those of their imperialist masters.

This government has used indefensible fiscal policy arguments to reduce public expenditures. It has removed subsidies across sectors, including electricity, petroleum, agriculture, education and many more. Fuel prices are rising to N1,300 per litre as depots run dry, despite the bogus claims that “fuel subsidies” have returned.

Similarly, the incoherent monetary policies have created a currency crisis. Coupled with the increased borrowing costs and the unification of the floating exchange rate market, the CBN allowed the naira to depreciate against the dollar to an uncontrollable level.

Under Tinubu’s watch, the Nigerian economy has never looked worse. No one is left untouched. Household adults and children, public sector workers, civil servants, and private sector workers are hungry and experiencing unbearable economic hardship. Food, clothing, water, and shelter are scarce. People are leaving their families to survive alone. Many are eating animal food and even grass.

Similarly, business owners of all sizes, micro to large, are finding it difficult to operate in this environment. Even billionaires like Otedola are writing long epistles about the present situation. It is a race to the bottom.

The scary part is that the Tinubu’s government is just starting its second year in office. Their trial-and-error policies are currently being tested under four simultaneous budgets. They have created a difficult environment for economic activities to happen. People are suffering.

The petroleum industry’s failure to invest in critical sectors is evident. The sector’s low productivity has forced the country to borrow externally, which has increased the government’s obsession with IGR from all tiers. Although refineries are not operational, billions are spent on them annually, as are gas flaring and the importation of sub-standard energy products.

The petroleum sector is also plagued by corruption. Even Dangote has raised concerns about the importation of bad petroleum products, racketeering from Malta, and widespread corruption in the sector.

In fact, the government is choosing to victimise Dangote for achieving what it was incapable of doing. Aside from the corruption claims, he said the government only owns seven per cent of his refinery instead of the 20 per cent that was announced in 2022.

Dangote’s generosity did not go unnoticed, he offered the government the chance to nationalise his newly built refinery. Buying it would definitely ease the ongoing hardship. This is one more evidence that Tinubu is not short on options to change the present situation.

But instead of adopting decent solutions, Tinubu prefers to invite community leaders to Aso Rock to manipulate the people with religious texts, gifts, and deceptive words. These people return to their communities to justify the government’s malicious agenda. Saying it will bear fruit someday. It will not. No amount of time can make harmful policies look good. They just want people to get used to this style of hardship were they turn Nigerians to beggars and palliatives seekers.

It is glaring that Tinubu’s government is obsessed with taxation over development, and this obsession has become a priority for them. Instead of improving public services with the tax revenues, they spend them on personal luxuries. These include exotic cars, aeroplanes, yachts, religious tourism, medical tourism, extravagant feeding, building presidential palaces, and more.

All the tangibles have evaporated into the thin air; all that is divine is vandalised. This APC government has demolished the social structures that provided stability and security to the people as was before. In their place, they have created a system of public exploitation, selling off public assets to themselves and punishing Nigerians with more taxes. The relentless pursuit of profit and power has ended the public investments that held communities together. The private jet business has tripled to over 157 owners in 2024 as against public transportation.

This government’s policies only favour the wealthy elite. The “Lagos Boys” of this regime will not accept responsibility for this failure because they feel entitled. They expect people to remain docile, thinking they know better than everyone. They chorus the same rhetoric that it is too early to criticize the government, that Nigerians should give them time, they claim that Tinubu’s policies will eventually benefit the masses; when on the contrary, these policies only increase suffering.

Nigerians are already exercising their constitutional rights protesting against the economic monster that is oppressing them. Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar and other opposition party leadership needs to show support as remaining docile only endorses everything bad the APC government is doing to Nigerians.

With the ever increasing cost of living, bad economy and resultant inflation, Nigerians have nothing else to lose over this protest but the cruel chains of economic policies imposed on them by Tinubu’s cruel government.

(Culled from Daily Trust)

It is obvious that Tinubu doesn’t care about Nigerians he is only after his selfish political ambitions….

Wutinky:
Tinubu is a fool and blessed with evil heart

Don’t mind favor914, one thing is certain if Nigerians decide to allow tribal sentiments to continue to divide them and they fail to push for an end to the bad corrupt government, when Tinubu finally destroys Nigeria’s economy completely, no one will escape the consequences whether you are living within the country or outside the country as we all have relatives in Nigeria….

Brendaniel:
Democracy is flawed, you are the one ignorant here not me and there is no downfall for me...

In a bid to defend wicked leaders like Tinubu, you insult your fellow Africans....

When Tinubu protested and demonized Jonathan’s government where were you to say what you’re saying now…. When APC led a nationwide protest just because Jonathan wanted to increase fuel price by N10 one year into his government, you did not see any thing wrong with what Tinubu was doing to Jonathan back then…. Now the situation is far worse and you pretend not to see how bad things are for Nigerians under this government…. Tinubu got a notice weeks to this protest and did nothing to address the issues…. He will not, can not change the corrupt and nepotistic status quo that brought him to power…. In my opinion, asking Nigerians to give his government time means giving the government additional time to kill more Nigerians…. Cost of living is already unbearable for many Nigerians, this is why they are protesting and won’t stop until their demands are met….

Salewa97:
Nigerians need to give Tinubu a chance to prove himself. Rome wasn’t built in a day!

Let’s focus on constructive dialogue instead of just protests. Change takes time, and I believe he’s capable of delivering if we support him.

There are so many lives that have been lost as a result of what you and so many others are doing on Nairaland by spreading tribal hate and defending bad government policies…. You will also bear the consequences of these deaths for the part you are playing here on Nairaland… If you do not have any meaning points to make on how to resolve the issues facing the country, it is better to remain silent then to engage in personal attacks and instigating tribal hateful propaganda online….

helinues:
No time to check time.

Please list the progress that has been made by Tinubu’s government…. Why do you think Nigerians protesting?

trutharena:
Nigerians are resilient and will always stand firm in support of president TINUBU despite the noise. Every leader faces challenges, but it's the vision and action that truly matter. Let's focus on the progress being made!

I did not criticize for no reason I highlighted critical points that should’ve been addressed by the government. You helinues is always on Nairaland attacking everyone but don’t proffer any solutions to the problems. Can you provide one point in Tinubu’s speech that addressed the issues raised by protesters?

helinues:
Wail more harder. We can't hear you from the back

Is Obi the president, why drag him into this matter? You can remain silent if you’ve nothing meaningful to say….

Chinkoalhaji34:
Na wah oo

So this one na the watery address wey dem dey talk about? Make we no forget say some people just dey wait for any small chance to splash water for Tinubu's side. Meanwhile, Peter Obi still dey find wetin he go talk wey go make sense. E be like say na him get the monopoly of sense for this matter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN0WSiKK1zs

Yesterday when I heard that Tinubu was going to address Nigerians over the nationwide protests, I reiterated my stand that Nigerians should not expect any meaningful response from Tinubu as he has nothing to offer in resolving the current economic crisis his government plunged the country. Tinubu’s national address did not offer any thing new, in fact he doubled down on the same policies that Nigerians were protesting against. Basically, Nigerians want an urgent intervention that will tackle the rising cost of food and services, any new government policy that does not address this issue is simply a waste of time….

After reading Tinubu’s speech, there is no doubt that the protest will continue as he failed to show empathy or demonstrate an understanding on how severe the situation is for Nigerians through his speech…

If the government really cares about addressing the issues, below is a list of what I believe should be done to restore hope to Nigerians.

Economy
When it comes to improving Nigeria’s economy, there are 3 main subjects that should be tackled that will bring immediate relief to protesting Nigerians, these are….

- Agriculture
There is need to declare a state of emergency on food security, to crash the prices of food, the government in collaboration with the military must initiate and execute proactive security measures to protect farmers especially in the northern part of the country…. If farmers are empowered and protected then there will be an increase in harvest leading to a crash in the price of food stuff in the market. Tinubu’s government has failed consistently to address the incessant killing of farmers all over the country….

- Fuel Subsidy And Floating The Naira
There is no doubt that the removal of fuel subsidy and floating of the naira has had a negative impact on the economy. In Tinubu’s address, he falsely claimed that only a powerful few benefited from the subsidy program as that was one of the reasons he gave for ending it. For many Nigerians, fuel subsidy was the only way they felt the impact of government as it is evident by the huge number of protesters demanding for it to be reinstated. In order to ease the cost of doing business especially for manufacturers and stabilize Nigeria’s economy, the government must as a matter of urgency reinstate fuel subsidy, reduce fuel price to at least N300 per litre. They should also stop floating of the Naira and peg it at N400 to $1, while also declaring a state of emergency on the repair of one national refinery (PH refinery) to ensure that it starts producing petroleum products within a month time. The refinery can complement the efforts made so far with the deploying CNG powered systems and vehicles to ease the pain that Nigerians are facing. These policies I mentioned if implemented will lead to immediate reduction in transportation costs, reduce production costs, reduce unemployment as it will ensure that more manufacturing businesses don’t shut down. Tinubu’s address failed to provide any evidence as to how much funds his government has saved through removal of subsidy or floating of the naira.

- Cut government cost
Tinubu’s national address did not highlight any move by his government to cut costs. There are news circulating that billions of Naira have been spent on buying a new presidential private jet, what effort is he making to reduce costs and government borrowing? Regarding National Assembly, what moves are the legislators making to cut costs as well? If Tinubu is asking Nigerians to bear the burden of this terrible economy then he ought to lead by example by cutting cost of his government and also reduce rate at which his government collects foreign loans. Financial prudence appears not to exist in his government. Cutting costs will enable the government free up funds that can be used to invest in critical projects that will benefit Nigerians. I will ask one last time, can Tinubu tell Nigerians how much he saved from fuel subsidy removal?

Education
Tinubu in his public address boasted about how his government has improved the educational sector by providing loans to students. I wonder how this is an achievement because many schools have been closed for months especially in the northern part of country due to the activities of bandits, also why can’t government provide the funds as grants instead of loans to students. If truly Tinubu is sincere about making education accessible to Nigerians then provide grants to students and implement an emergency intervention program that help in addressing the security challenges schools are facing all over the country as that’s the primary responsibility of any government.

Infrastructure
On the issue of infrastructure, I did not see any program or mega projects that will bring about massive boost to Nigeria’s economy in Tinubu’s national address. Instead of investing on new roads that will not provide any immediate positive impact to Nigeria’s economy like the Calabar Lagos highway that is estimated to gulp over N15 trillion that will be sourced mainly through borrowing, why not use this N15 trillion to invest massively in electricity generation and distribution. Why not also invest massively in the construction of a cargo rail line that will connect the 6 geo political zones of the country. These are projects that a serious government should consider, if executed will improve Nigeria’s production capacity.


Conclusion
Tinubu’s national address has once again shown that the government is incapable of implementing the demands of protesters. I did not expect much from his speech as it is only clear to any sensible person that this government is all about spreading propaganda, it lacks the capacity to make any meaningful reforms that will benefit Nigerians….

When Tinubu protested and demonized Jonathan’s government where were you to say what you’re saying now…. When APC led a nationwide protest just because Jonathan wanted to increase fuel price by N10 one year into his government, you did not see any thing wrong with what Tinubu was doing to Jonathan back then…. Now the situation is far worse and you pretend not to see how bad things are for Nigerians under this government…. Tinubu got a notice weeks to this protest and did nothing to address the issues….

Philipponzaghi:
Tinubu is working towards progress.

Let’s not forget that change takes time.

He has a vision for Nigeria, and it's important we give him a chance to execute it.

Every leader faces challenges, but it's through these that real transformation occurs.

Instead of just criticism, let’s support constructive dialogue for a better Nigeria.

I’ve no confidence in the current government but If Tinubu means well as you claim then he should start by reversing fuel subsidy removal and reducing fuel price to at least N200 or N300 per litre…. This should be his message to Nigerians tomorrow…. Cost of living is unbearable for many Nigerians….

Philipponzaghi:
Tinubu is working towards progress.

Let’s not forget that change takes time.

He has a vision for Nigeria, and it's important we give him a chance to execute it.

Every leader faces challenges, but it's through these that real transformation occurs.

Instead of just criticism, let’s support constructive dialogue for a better Nigeria.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hCgv4GzRDE

All well meaning Nigerians want to see an end to bad governance in Nigeria, they want to see an end to the bad economic situation that they are going through.…. Any public address by Tinubu that doesn’t tackle these issues including the reversal of his terrible policies of removing fuel subsidy, floating of the nation’s currency, downsizing his government by cutting costs and the immediate implementation of other demands by protesters is a waste of time and another attempt to deceive Nigerians…. It is a shame that it took Tinubu over 72 hours and the death of over 10 protesters before addressing the nation…. I am not confident that his nationwide address will contain any serious reforms that will douse the anger of Nigerians or bring about any solution to the crisis…. I stand to be corrected….

It is you that is ignorant because going by the constitution, the president can be impeached, his constitutional powers is not above the people’s rights to call for his resignation or impeachment….

lamentor78:
Some of you born yesterday don't know what is called power. First, find the meaning of GCFR , the power he has supercedes the nonsense protest you are doing, he was brought in by ballot and can only be removed by ballot says the constitution. Just because most of you are educated illiterate won't make us just sit down and look at you wallow in your ignorance.

Even, historically how many African presidents have resigned talk less of spending only one year on sit.

Most of our youth are sick upstairs,evident from what comes out of their brains.

You’re right but the people will only look inwards once the center is weakened, this means devolution of powers and total control of resources to states/regions….

favor914:
Democracy will work in Nigeria if The People look inwards to the respective states, and remove their mind from their military mentality everything na president.

Okay but there must be a way out as the status quo is no longer sustainable…. This protest will only continue to get worse if nothing is done to restore hope and reduce the cost of living especially in the northern part of the country….

favor914:
Is President Tinubu from Delta State? Even For that clueless Jonathan from my so called South South region not sticking with the subsidy removal of 2012, I forever detested him, until he was removed from power.

I never supported the removal of fuel subsidy or floating of the Naira…. Tinubu had the option to extend the full implementation of PIA beyond June 1 2023 while ensuring that adequate preparations like fixing one national refinery was made before removing the fuel subsidy if it must be removed…. Also Tinubu and the greedy legislators could’ve moved for a drastic cut in the cost of governance if truly they were sincere with Nigerians…. There was no money to pay for subsidies but there was money to fund their flamboyant lifestyle, buying SUVs, renovating VPs house and buying new private jets for Tinubu and his friends….. the government is callous and irresponsible…. Regarding the state governors, I am of the opinion that we push for an interim government and a total restructuring of Nigeria’s political landscape to decentralize power so Nigerians can see the need to hold their states and regional governments accountable…. The current centralized democratic system can not and will not work in Nigeria because of widespread tribalism and religious bigotry among Nigerians…. You’re also a victim because I am certain that the main reason you are defending this bad government is simply because the president is from your tribe….

favor914:
Ignorance is not an excuse in law, President Tinubu did not remove petrol subsidy, the same Petroleum Industry Act 2021 that you all applauded & signed into law by President Buhari removed the subsidy set for June 1 2023, all Tinubu did was to announce it to the ignorant citizens who by constructive notice should have been aware.

That there was no money in the 2023 nations budget for payment of petrol subsidy after June 1 2023.

The Petroleum Industry Act also repealed six (6) laws – the Associated Gas Reinjection Act 1979, the Hydrocarbon Oil Refineries Act, Motors Spirit Returns Act, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (Projects) Act, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Act, the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (Establishment) Act aka petrol subsidy.

Either you are ignorant to Economics of Adam Smith? Why not allowing the Naira to find its true value in the market is the right thing, instead of paying subsidy for an artificial exchange rate on it for the benefit of the rich, those people in Nigeria that have gone global & have found a formula to make the foreign exchange that the country badly needs are not complaining.

It is the same lazy ones with their same old mindset still waiting for The Federal Government that are purportedly complaining.

Can you please mention just 1 commodity that your respective state governments promoted for export be it rubber, cocoa, cassava, cotton, palm oil etc?

The 1999 centralized democratic system of government failed mainly because of lack of unity among Nigerians…. Tribalism, religious bigotry coupled with corruption led us to the mess we are in today…. You said “Tinubu alone cannot move the country that is why we have a system of Federal, State and Local governments” Tinubu’s federal government exacerbated the problems by implementing bad policies like removing all subsidies and floating the nation’s currency…. The centralized monthly FAAC allocations have rendered many state governments incompetent and unable to think outside the box, corrupt governors hide their failures behind a centralized system of collecting monthly allocations from the Federal, the local government seem to only exist on paper as there is no impact or evidence that it exists in the various LGAs while Nigerians fail to hold the government accountable because many of them have been brainwashed or indoctrinated to see all national political issues from the lens of tribal sentiments and religious bigotry…. It is a hopeless situation that benefits no one….. This is why there is need for a political reset, this is why decentralization of Nigeria’s political system to devolve more constitutional powers to states/regions is the only way forward and only an interim government can achieve this…. Tinubu and other greedy politicians feeding fat from the current system will not and cannot implement this and other economic reforms needed to move this country forward….

favor914:
Use your energy to move your personal life forward, only a hypocrite will want us to believe that he is fighting for the betterment of Nigeria for those Boko Haram Almijiri sympathizers in Northern Nigeria.

Or fighting on behalf for those ungrateful incoherent eyepobians that want to divide the country because they never give them president yet.

Your excuse no carry weight mr man, Tinubu alone cannot move Nigeria forward for 220 million people, it is mission impossible, Thomas Cruise can verify that.

I believe it is the reason why we have a system of Federal, States & Local Governments?

I don’t have any problem as there is no evidence that proves that any one has the power to choose where he wants to be born when coming into this world…. The problem facing Nigeria is simply leadership as Nigeria is already blessed to be a great nation…. I do not regret been a Nigerian…. My only pain is the injustice that has held this country back for too long…. I hope Nigerians can unite and free themselves from their political oppressors….

favor914:
You have a problem Mr Man, the sooner you can leave the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the better for you, at this age somebody will still be thinking like this?

The best thing that could have happened to you, we no know why them decide born you for The Federal Republic of Nigeria.

A very great injustice was mounted on you from start.

I will not suffer because I am not the problem of Nigeria…. Nigerians have a choice of either moving the country forward or not…. I’ve only proffered a solution to the best of my abilities it is left for you to do the same…. I believe you’re also a Nigerian living in Nigeria….

favor914:
You will suffer in the Federal Republic of Nigeria with this kind of misconstrued mindset.

Your rights stops were another man’s rights begin…. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and beliefs…. If majority of Nigerians don’t want Tinubu’s government to continue then there is nothing you can do about it…. As I said earlier the best you can do is to convince them why Tinubu’s government should be allowed to continue….. what moves are his government making to improve the economy or address the grievances of protesters…..? Can you proffer any meaningful solutions to the problems without resorting to threats and tribal violence…..?

haffaze777:
Okay I heard you but we that voted for tinubu won't allow any miscreant disrupt his 4 years mandate.