Tinubu could have prevented protest carnage with dialogue

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The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has said that most of the deaths and destructions witnessed on Day 1 of nationwide protests against hunger ravaging the land by some aggrieved Nigerians would have been averted or significantly ameliorated if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had, prior to the exercise, shown leadership by taking the necessary actions to dialogue with organisers and other critical stakeholders in the country.

It would be recalled that the planned nationwide protests commenced on Thursday, August 1, 2024, and lasted until August 10, 2024, with reports across the country indicating a number of deaths and wanton destructions, leading to imposed curfews in some states across the country.

CUPP gave this position in a statement by its spokesperson, Comrade Mark Adebayo, a copy of which was made available to newsmen on Friday, noting that, in the buildup to the nationwide protests, President Tinubu “didn’t deem it fit to address Nigerians directly but chose to allow his spokesmen and other government officials to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians by making provocative statements that further escalated the people’s anger.”

According to the coalition, a proactive president would have demonstrated leadership weeks ago by directly addressing the nation and giving some concessions that would have staved off or minimised the mass protests, saying that rather than do this, he chose to engage in what he termed a “sidon-look” and “I don’t care” attitude towards the whole thing.

Consequently, CUPP observed that the president’s leadership, which he described as woeful, had “thrown the whole country into the current bloody crises that have functionally locked down the country’s already sick economy and social life.”

“If President Tinubu had shown leadership by talking to Nigerians and taking necessary actions by holding dialogue with organisers of the protests and other critical stakeholders in the country, including the opposition, most of the deaths and destructions witnessed on just Day 1 of the protests would have been averted or significantly ameliorated. The people are justifiably angry because Nigerians are hungry. To worsen the matter, irresponsible statements like they would be feasting while Nigerians protested were being recklessly made by high-profile people in the APC government like the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and others.

“We condemn, in strong terms, the attitude of taking Nigerians for granted by this administration and the lack of capacity to govern well so far demonstrated by the Tinubu administration since its inception last year. We hold the Federal Government responsible for all deaths and destruction of properties being witnessed in these nationwide protests against hunger and bad governance,” the coalition said.

“The government had ample time to forestall this violence but refused to take any meaningful actions to engage Nigerians and resolve the crisis even before it started,” it added.

CUPP, however, urged the security agencies to exercise the utmost restraints in their encounter with protesters, even as it equally called on Nigerians to avoid looting and all forms of criminality in the course of the ongoing protests, adding: “Nothing must be done to undermine our democracy as a nation.”

“We urge the security agencies to exercise the utmost restraints in their encounters with protesters. We equally call on Nigerians to avoid looting and all forms of criminality in the course of these protests. Nothing must be done to undermine our democracy as a nation,” the statement concluded.

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