As a result of the biting hunger in the country, some groups, especially the youths are reportedly planning a nationwide protest tagged ‘10 days of rage’ to register their displeasure to the federal government over the prevailing economic hardship in the country. The protest has been slated to commence on August 1, 2023 and lasts for about10 days. Drawing lessons from a similar protest in Kenya recently over tax law, President Bola Tinubu has pleaded for more time to enable him address the grievances of the angry youths.
The government is also jittery that the protest may be hijacked by hoodlums and criminals in our midst and cause mayhem and violence. The EndSARS protest, which was mismanaged by the then government led to massive destruction of lives and public edifices across the country, especially in Lagos. The first question those in government should ask is: why are the youths planning to protest and see how to engage them and nip the demonstration in the bud. Another one is what the government can do to make food available and affordable to many Nigerians. Not every Nigerian can buy a medium-size piece of yam for N5,000 or a paint of beans for N14,000 or a paint of garri for N4000. I can go on and on.
It is not enough to accuse one man or one party or the opposition or one group for planning the protest as one of the president’s media aide, Bayo Onanuga, has done. Using inflammatory language and hate speech against members of a major ethnic group to divert attention from the suffering in the land is merely dodging the issue. It does not address the issue at hand. Those who speak for the federal government should chew their words carefully and refrain from using combustible and incendiary language in communicating to Nigerians. They must bury their hatred and prejudices about other people and ethnic groups and pass their message with much clarity, candour, respect and dignity, which the high office of the presidency demands.
However, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, handled the matter maturely when he appeared on a national television after an emergency FEC meeting. He appealed to the youths to shelve the protest and embrace dialogue. He described all Nigerians as one family and the matter as a family affair that can be resolved without protest, which may be hijacked by criminals. He stated that the President is doing much to ameliorate the situation and has even pleaded for more time to attend to their complaints.
The communication was simple, direct and effective. He didn’t say the enemies of APC are organizing the protest. He didn’t blame any politician or any political party for the protest, which is still in the planning stage. Those in government should emulate the example of the honourable minister in question in effective communication. Even President Tinubu had in many occasions admitted feeling the pains of Nigerians over the removal of fuel subsidy and vowed to do something to ameliorate such pains. I believe he is aware of the present hardship Nigerians are passing through. There is hope that he is going to address them quickly.
Nigerians are good people. They are easy to govern. Nigerians are also industrious. They were once among the happiest people in the world. They can still be in future. They only need encouragement from the government. Government should attend to the needs of the people. Providing them their basic needs is not asking for too much. Governments exits to solve the problems of the citizens. This is not for the federal government alone. State and local governments should also attend to the needs of Nigerians. In fact, some of the subnational governments are not doing enough for the people. Complaints should not be for the federal government alone. Though the federal government is seen as the Big Brother, states and local governments should address the needs of their citizens too.
In a democracy, the right to protest is guaranteed. There is no democracy in the world where dissenting views are not allowed or where opposing views are not tolerated. Our democracy can only get better when there are differing views on issues. Democracy is not a monologue, where the citizens listen to one man and say Amen to everything he says. Listening to only one man and agreeing with him totally will amount to dictatorship, which democracy abhors.
In fact, protest is a form of speech. Just like silence, protest can as well be a figure of speech. The citizens can use protest to pass a message to the government. The same way people speak with their votes is the same they speak with protest. With about 200 million people and over 250 languages and three major ethnic groups and others, Nigerians should view issues from different perspectives. That is what multi-party democracies prescribe. That is the beauty of democracy.
However, the only problem with such protest is that it can be hijacked by hoodlums and criminals and disrupt economic activities and move of people. It can lead to violence and killings. That is why the government should use dialogue and persuasion to stop the demonstration. No doubt, the 2023 election was almost the most divisive in the political history of the country due to obvious reasons. In Lagos State, the divisiveness was taken to a ridiculous level by voter suppression and violence against the so-called non-indigenes in a united one Nigeria where the 1999 Constitution permits every citizen to live and pursue his dreams in any part of the country.
This happened in a one united and indivisible country called Nigeria. Is it not ironical that in an indivisible country, some ethnic groups were told whom to vote or else stay at home or be thrown into the lagoon? It is either we admit our oneness and forge ahead or admit our separateness and forge ahead. Discriminating against some people in the name of one nation is absurd. That is why many Nigerians are calling for the restructuring of the country and devolution of powers so that each zone can develop at its own pace.
The hunger in the land is real and alive. There are Nigerians who do not know what it feels like to go to bed without food. There are also Nigerians who do not know the pangs of hunger. Many Nigerians today actually do not know where the next meal will come from. Some Nigerians are reportedly picking foods from the refuse dumps. Millions of Nigerians have lost hope of a better future promised by the government. Fortunately or unfortunately, the hunger in the land has no colour, tribe or creed. It knows no gender or ethnicity. It is not discriminatory. It affects everyone, children and adults. It affects members of the APC, PDP, LP, APGA, NNPP and other political parties in the country.
Politicians, supporters and their overzealous aides should allow us breathe fresh air that God has given all of us in this country. They should not be allowed to overheat the system which is already overcharged with much hunger, misery and deprivation. For this nascent democracy to endure, the government must effectively communicate its policies to the people and those in charge of communication should do so with clarity and respect.
Speaking condescendingly to the people is unbecoming of those who work in the presidency. The aides who do so are not even helping the President. They are unwittingly complicating his tasks and waging barrier between him and the people. The presidency does not need the services of purveyors of inciting, inflammatory and divisive comments. Considering appeals from all quarters, clerics, royal fathers and ethnic groups, the youths should listen to the government and shelve the protest. It is good to use dialogue to settle this family affair. They should indeed calm down and give the President more time to address their grievances.