President Bola Tinubu has urged demonstrators to suspend their ongoing protests and embrace dialogue with the government.
The President said that the protests have escalated into violence in some states, despite the pledges made by protest organizers, during his first speech since the nationwide protests started on Thursday, August 1, 2024..
“I hereby enjoin protesters and the organisers to suspend any further protest and create room for dialogue, which I have always acceded to at the slightest opportunity,” he said in Sunday’s broadcast to the people.
The demand for economic and political reforms, including the reversal of some government policies, has been voiced by thousands of Nigerians on the streets since August 1st. but President Tinubu ruled out such policy reversal in his speech.
He stated that his government’s decision to remove petrol subsidy was necessary to reverse “decades of economic mismanagement that didn’t serve us well.”
He said fixing the country requires everyone’s help, regardless of age, political party, tribe, or religion.
The president, who warned against bigoted speeches, said anyone who threatens any part of the country will face the full wrath of the law.
According to him, “There is no place for ethnic bigotry or such threats in the Nigeria we seek to build,".
President Tinubu expressed his dissatisfaction with the destruction of public facilities and looting of supermarkets and shops in certain states, which went against the protest organizers’ promise of peacefulness, adding that the destruction is a setback to the nation as the limited resources will be used to restore them.
In a show of empathy, President Tinubu offered his condolences to the families of Nigerians who lost their lives in the course of the protest in the last three days.
“I am especially pained by the loss of lives in Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna and other states” he said.
“I commiserate with the families and relations of those who have died in the protests. We must stop further bloodshed, violence and destruction.”
Amnesty International has recorded a minimum of 13 fatalities since the protests started, with most believed to be caused by the police, which the police deny.
According to the organizers, the protests would last for 10 days, starting on August 1st and ending on August 10th.
Despite starting peacefully, the protests have turned violent in many states, resulting in deaths and the destruction of properties.
Read more
