By John Ikani
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has in a nationwide broadcast on Sunday, August 4, 2024, called for an end to ongoing protests increasing hardship suffered by citizens in the country.
The cry of the rallies which commenced on Thursday, August 1 is “End Bad Governance in Nigeria.” No fewer than 20 persons including security personnel have lost their lives in the rallies which took violent turns in some states.
There have also been recorded instances of looting and vandalisation of properties.
Here are five things the president said in an attempt to quell the protests.
1. Condemnation of violence, calls for dialogue:
President Tinubu condemned the violent protests and the destruction of public and private property, emphasising the negative impact on the nation’s resources and progress.
The President urged protesters and organisers to suspend further protests and engage in dialogue to address their grievances, highlighting the need for unity in reshaping Nigeria’s destiny.
“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. Nigeria requires all hands on deck and needs us all – regardless of age, party, tribe, religion or other divides, to work together in reshaping our destiny as a nation.”
2. Food Security Measures:
President Tinubu revealed plans to boost food production, including the removal of tariffs on certain food items and the distribution of farming equipment.
The President concluded by urging unity and patience, stating, “Let us work together to build a brighter future for ourselves and for generations to come. Let us choose hope over fear, unity over division, and progress over stagnation.”
3 Youth Empowerment Programmes:
According to the president, his government has embarked on massive youth empowerment programmes aimed at empowering the youths and making them self-sufficient.
“We have secured $620 million under the Digital and Creative Enterprises (IDiCE) – a programme to empower our young people, creating millions of IT and technical jobs that will make them globally competitive. These programmes include the 3 Million Technical Talents scheme”.
4 Loans to small scale businesses:
He went on to note that “75,000 beneficiaries have been processed to receive our N1million Micro and Small Business single-digit interest loans, starting this month. We have also built 10 MSME hubs within the past year, created 240,000 jobs through them and 5 more hubs are in progress which will be ready by October this year”.
5 Reduce transportation costs:
The president defended the removal of subsidies on fuel, a measure been the focal point of Nigerians and protesters. He however noted that his government has launched a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative to power transportation and reduce costs, with plans to distribute a million conversion kits.
