The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has opined that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Sunday broadcast due to the #EndBadGoverment protest, sounded perfunctory, and defensive and appeared to be in fulfilment of all righteousness.
RULAAC also fumed over Tinubu’s failure to address concrete issues contained in the genuine demands of the protesters.
The Executive Director of RULAAC, Okechukwu Nwanguma said: “I had expected the president to go beyond commiserating with families of those who were killed to order an investigation into their killing.
“The law requires that investigations should be ordered into all cases of unlawful killing to identify, try, and bring the perpetrators to account and compensate the families of the victims.
“They didn’t just die. They were killed. A government that cares will require an inquest into every killing and direct accountability on the part of whoever – protester or security agent – shown to have been involved.
“He also claimed that the oil and gas industry is experiencing a resurgence. But how has this impacted economic growth and in the lives of the people?”
Nwanguma stated that the broadcast was entirely silent on corruption, extravagant lifestyle, and conspicuous consumption by his coterie, including by the national assembly.
He added: “It made no mention of the cost of government or implementation of the Oronsanye Report. Couldn’t he have conceded reducing the number of federal ministries, many of which are not only dysfunctional but also contributing to wastage?
“He also did not comment on nepotism and the use of public offices as avenues of compensation and ‘settlement’ for political allies.
“One area he mentioned that sounded positive was about the people promoting ethnic hate, discrimination, and bigotry. But he fell short by failing to order the arrest and prosecution of the promoters of bigotry since they are well known.
“Some of his official spokespersons have been openly involved in promoting bigotry. They carried it over from the last governorship election in Lagos State when well-known ethnic bigots threatened and attacked non-indigenes and got away with it.
“While appearing to be open to dialogue, the President did not provide any avenue, channel, or mechanism for engagement and dialogue with the people. He also did not respond directly to the people’s demands nor provided timelines for meeting the specific demands.
“The president missed the opportunity to demonstrate genuine empathy and assuage the grievances of the people.”
