The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s recent speech addressing the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests, calling it a distraction from the pressing issues faced by Nigerians.
In a statement issued on Sunday, PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba expressed disappointment, stating that Tinubu’s speech did not address the core concerns of the protesters.
Nigerians have been battling severe economic hardships, struggling to afford basic necessities. This led to widespread protests starting on Thursday, with demonstrations continuing through the weekend in major cities including Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, and Rivers. Protesters are demanding an end to hunger and poor governance.
In his broadcast on Sunday, President Tinubu urged the protesters to cease their demonstrations. He defended his administration’s recent policies, such as removing the fuel subsidy and unifying the foreign exchange systems. Tinubu argued that these measures were essential to prevent exploitation by smugglers and rent-seekers and to stop subsidies that were benefiting neighboring countries at the expense of Nigerians. He emphasized that the Nigerian economy had been stagnant for decades due to various misalignments hindering its growth.
However, Ologunagba criticized the speech, stating that it showcased the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration’s insensitivity towards the plight of Nigerians.
The statement reads, “Our party is appalled that despite the fact that it took President Tinubu the prodding of the PDP to speak to the nation, it is distressing that the speech failed to offer any concrete measure to address the excruciating hardship in the country.
“Mr President’s speech failed to respond to the demand by the citizens for immediate measures to reduce the price of petroleum products, halt the fall of the Naira and urgent intervention in the provision of food items to starving Nigerians.
“It is equally shocking that the speech did not order an investigation into the brutal killing of unarmed Nigerians by certain unscrupulous operatives of the APC-controlled security agencies while demanding good governance, protection, security and welfare, which are the primary purposes of government.
“Instead, the speech dwelt on APC’s counter-productive action of disregarding the feelings and pains of the people by focusing on self-praise, claims of imaginary achievements and empty projections in the face of the apparent and obvious failure of the APC in every aspect of governance.
“Such only reinforces public apprehension that the APC administration is uncaring and impervious to the suffering and pains of millions of Nigerians, particularly the youths whose dreams, hopes and aspirations are being dashed by the APC.”
