By Abiola Olawale
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying his address failed to address the concerns of Nigerians.
Obi, a two-term governor of Anambra State, said the nationwide address of Tinubu is a disconnection from the harsh reality many Nigerians are facing.
According to him, Tinubu failed to focus on the demands of Nigerians and didn’t offer any hope to the citizens of Nigeria.
The New Diplomat reports that Tinubu, on Sunday, in a nationwide broadcast, addressed Nigerians.
Tinubu, in the address, pleaded with the #EndBadGovernance protesters to halt the demonstrations as he had “heard them loud and clear” but was adamant on the issues relating to the restoration of fuel subsidy, among other demands made by protesters.
However, Obi who took to his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, said he intentionally delayed his reactions to avoid being accused of swaying public opinion against the Tinubu-led government.
He said: “Having led the call for the President to address the nation and respond to the demands of the people, and having listened to the belated speech, I needed to delay my response to see if my understanding of the address aligned with others.
“I hesitated to respond immediately, as I felt it could have been perceived as another attempt by Peter Obi to sway public opinion, especially, since I was initially accused of sponsoring the protest,” he said.
Obi, who appreciated the President for addressing Nigerians through the broadcast, however, noted that the speech failed to address the pending issues affecting citizens and, thus, said it fell short of expectations.
He added that the speech was “disconnected from the harsh economic realities” Nigerians are facing and too focused on the past rather than the present and the future which Nigerians are concerned about.
He continued: “However, I must begin by thanking the President for finally addressing the people, albeit belatedly, which might have prevented the unnecessary loss of innocent lives, including those of our security agents.
“While I had hoped that, in consoling the families of those who lost their loved ones in the protest, he would also show some empathy towards those who were injured, arrested, and detained due to the overzealous and unprofessional conduct of some security operatives, this was unfortunately not the case.
“It is the responsibility of the government to identify criminal elements attempting to disrupt the protest through looting and other unlawful behaviours and to protect those genuinely exercising their democratic rights.
“Nigeria must embrace all tenets of democracy, including the right to protest, without selective adherence,” stressing, “I also appreciate his condemnation of the ethnic bigotry being propagated by some individuals against other ethnic groups.
“However, I had hoped for more decisive action, such as the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible, to demonstrate that such intolerance will not be tolerated in today’s Nigeria.”
He added: “The President’s address regrettably appeared disconnected from the harsh realities faced by the people and failed to address critical issues that initially triggered the protest.
“It either reflects a lack of awareness among his advisers regarding the scale of anger, hunger, and hardship in the country, or a deliberate choice to disregard it.”
He strongly advised the Tinubu administration to distance itself from sycophants and surround itself with individuals who will present the unvarnished truth.
“While the President’s speech focused on the past, the people are concerned with the present and the future. He should begin by addressing pressing issues such as the exorbitant cost of governance, measures to tackle corruption, the high cost of living, and directing resources effectively towards critical areas like health, education, and poverty alleviation. I respectfully reiterate that the President should declare a war on insecurity, the economy, poverty, unemployment, and the power sector.
“Persistent issues of corruption and mismanagement of public funds must be addressed decisively. As is done in other nations during such times, regular briefings, whether quarterly or biannually, from the President, are essential to communicate the visible and verifiable measures being taken to revive the nation from its current state of hopelessness, restore hope, and rebuild trust in our country.
“I also humbly request that the President reduce the repetition of how dire the situation is; every Nigerian is already aware of the extent of the problems. Mr President, you and your team were elected not just to witness the protests but to alleviate the suffering of the people,” he concluded.
