President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent address to the nation has failed to alleviate the concerns of Nigerians, who have been protesting against the high cost of living and economic hardship. Despite his assurances of working hard for the people, many Nigerians feel that his speech did not address their specific demands.
Peter Owoicho from Lagos described the speech as “abstract” and “threatening.” He said, “Imagine the President saying during his broadcast that ‘I must ensure public order. In line with my constitutional oath to protect the lives and property of every citizen, our government will not stand idly by and allow a few with a clear political agenda to tear this nation apart.’ This kind of statement is not right at all.”
Michael Divine Akor from Abuja felt that the speech came too late after the protests had already begun. He said, “The protesters gave him an adequate time frame before the commencement of the protest. In a sane society, it’s expected that Mr. President should have addressed the salient issues raised by the protesters, cum citizens to discourage them from proceeding with the protest, but he kept mute until the protest had kicked off and wrecked some damage on the nation.”
Anthony Ameh from Abuja believed that the speech failed to provide solutions to the masses’ yearnings and aspirations. He said, “To me, the speech didn’t convey solutions to the real yearning and pains of the masses who have been gripped by excruciating pains and hunger since Tinubu took over the baton.”
Uchechi Emeka from Onitsha faulted the President for describing the protests as politically motivated. He said, “The President in his speech christened the protest as a politically masterminded exercise sponsored by his political foes. That’s the least expected from our President in the trying time of our nationhood.”
Prince Archibong from Akwa-ibom criticized the President for hailing his effort to increase the national minimum wage, which only benefits a small segment of the population. He said, “President Tinubu in his speech praised his effort in augmenting the minimum wage to N70,000. This is a measure that will have infinitesimal benefit to a very small fraction of the Nigerian population.”
Eche Peter from Benue expected the President to address the high price of commodities and provide a lasting solution. He said, “The protesters complained of a skyrocketing price of food items. The President was expected to assure Nigerians of his modalities to tackle such hyper-inflation, but he didn’t.”
Nafisat Abubakar from Nasarawa slammed the speech as propaganda, saying the writer failed to learn from reality. She said, “His scriptwriters don’t learn at all, pushing propaganda instead of addressing issues. They’re so out of touch with reality. I wonder when things will go right in this country.”