The Coalition of Genuine Civil Society Organisations and Right Activists, participating in the ongoing nationwide protest, says there is no applause for President Bola Tinubu’s address to Nigerians on Sunday.
The spokesman for the coalition, Mr. Declan Ihekaire of Activists for Good Governance, however said that protesters and activists were ready for ‘genuine’ dialogue with the President.
According to him, activists and most protesters are not interested in destroying the country but for the well-being and survival of the masses, being affected by the current economic hardship.
“Our agitations have not been met. What Mr President said were just campaign against 2027. He was talking to his followers not Nigerians.
“Nigerians are saying they are hungry. A hungry man needs immediate food, not a long-term food.
“As the of the Nation, I expected him to have given out an immediate solution to the hunger in the land.
“Nobody wants his or her country to fail, fall and falter. No activist wants his or her country to be destroyed.
“That is not the goal. That’s why protest in Lagos has been peaceful and well coordinated.
“So, if he (the President) wants to meet us, we are ready, no doubt. If he calls today, we will respect him and honour him as our father,” Ihekaire said.
He said all that Nigerians wanted were urgent steps to address issue of hunger and inflation.
Ihekaire said that the protesters had achieved so much in making the President address concerns of Nigerians around the rising cost of living and hardship poor masses were facing.
He decried forces who tried hard to silence the voices of the people from being heard.
According to him, the fact that protesters have made the President speak indicates that their voices are not negligible.
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“We were just few that engaged him (the President) through this protest, and we have made him come out to talk. It means, the protesters have achieved a lot,” he said.
He urged the political class to always learn from the past and listen to the people always, saying Nigerian people were going through a lot of hardship in silence.
Speaking further on the president’s call for dialogue, the activist said that protesters would be ready to tell the political class the truth about the challenges facing ordinary people.
“We are not faceless. We are ready to tell him (Tinubu) the truth face to face.
“The government knows how to get in touch with leaders of the protest in each state because we have been interfacing and engaging security agents at protest venues.
“He (Tinubu) is our father, there is no doubt about it, we must listen to him and he must listen to his children too.
“Our cause is genuine. Let him invite us, we will tell him the bitter truth,” he said.
He, however, urged the President to be mindful that there were people trying to cash out through the genuine protest.
The President in his broadcast on Sunday on nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest reiterated his government’s commitment to listening to and addressing the concerns of citizens of the country.
The President enjoined the protesters and the organisers to suspend any further protest and create room for dialogue, which he said he had always acceded to at the slightest opportunity.
The protest, which started on Thursday, crippled socio-economic activities across states as motor parks, shops, malls, markets and roads were deserted.
The first day of the protest recorded violence and looting in some states like Niger, Kaduna, Jigawa, Abuja among others.
The protest, planned to end on Aug. 10, is aimed at drawing the attention of the Federal Government to the hardship faced by citizens.