President Bola Tinubu has pleaded with the youth who are the arrowhead of the ongoing protests against hunger in the country not to allow enemies to use them to truncate democracy.
Tinubu said this in his nationwide broadcast on the ongoing nationwide protests against hunger and bad governance by youth across the country beginning from August 1st
Recall that the protest had led to loss if lives and destruction of properties in some states of the federation on the last two days.
The President, who said he had heard them loud and clear in their protests against hunger and bad governance, cautioned them against misinformation and miseducation stressing that his policies so far were to save the country from sinking further into economic misery inherited from his predecessors.
Asserting that there may have been dashed hopes in the past, the President said “we are in a new era of Renewed Hope. We are working hard for you, and the results will soon be visible and concrete for everyone to see, feel, and enjoy.
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. The economy is recovering; Please, don’t shut out its oxygen. Now that we have been enjoying democratic governance for 25 years, do not let the enemies of democracy use you to promote an unconstitutional agenda that will set us back on our democratic journey.”
The President thereafter said “security operatives should continue to maintain peace, law, and order in our country following the necessary conventions on human rights, to which Nigeria is a signatory. The safety and security of all Nigerians are paramount.”
Urging protesters’ to suspend action and create room for dialogue, the President said “Nigeria requires all hands on deck and needs us all – regardless of age, party, tribe, religion or other divides, to work tace for together in reshaping our destiny as a nation. To those who have taken undue advantage of this situation to threaten any section of this country, be warned: The law will catch up with you. There is no place for ethnic bigotry or such threats in the Nigeria we seek to build.
“Our democracy progresses when the constitutional rights of every Nigerian are respected and protected. Our law enforcement agencies should continue to ensure the full protection of lives and properties of innocent citizens in a responsible manner.
“My vision for our country is one of a just and prosperous nation where each person may enjoy the peace, freedom, and meaningful livelihood that only democratic good governance can provide – one that is open, transparent and accountable to the Nigerian people.”
Speaking on why his administration took some tough decisions, Tinubu said “For decades, our economy has remained anaemic and taken a dip because of many misalignments that have stunted our growth. Just over a year ago, our dear country, Nigeria, reached a point where we couldn’t afford to continue the use of temporary solutions to solve long-term problems for the sake of now and our unborn generations. I therefore took the painful yet necessary decision to remove fuel subsidies and abolish multiple foreign exchange systems which had constituted a noose around the economic jugular of our Nation and impeded our economic development and progress.
These actions blocked the greed and the profits that smugglers and rent-seekers made. They also blocked the undue subsidies we had extended to our neighbouring countries to the detriment of our people, rendering our economy prostrate. These decisions I made were necessary if we must reverse the decades of economic mismanagement that didn’t serve us well. Yes, I agree, the buck stops on my table. But I can assure you that I am focused fully on delivering the governance to the people – good governance for the people.
