Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar has said President Bola Tinubu’s speech on Sunday regarding the ongoing nationwide protests against his government was empty, dull, hollow and lacked respect for protesters who have filed to the street to draw his attention to his poor economic policies.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
To Atiku, nothing could be further from the truth that Tinubu’s speech highlighted his poor management style, disregard to the yearning of the people and clear failure to grasp the ugly unfolding situation that has forced people to the street.
Atiku who was Tinubu’s rival for the post of President in the 2023 election noted through a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Mr Paul Ibe on Sunday that Tinubu’s speech simply failed to address the hardship of Nigerians.
“President Bola Tinubu’s broadcast this morning, intended to quell the fervour of public protests against his administration’s poor governance, utterly misses the mark,” Atiku said. He highlighted that the speech “neglects the pressing economic hardships that have besieged Nigerian families since the very beginning of his tenure.”
He said the address lacked credibility and failed to offer any immediate, tangible solutions to the Nigerian people.
“Given the extensive publicity surrounding the protests and the threats issued by government officials against demonstrators,” Atiku said “one would have expected President Tinubu to present groundbreaking reforms, particularly those aimed at reducing the exorbitant costs of governance.”
Unfortunately he said “no such announcements were made. The President ignored the protesters’ demands, such as suspending the purchase of aircraft for the President, downsizing his bloated cabinet, or even eliminating the costly and burdensome office of the First Lady, who has been indulging in extravagant trips at the nation’s expense.
“In his lacklustre recorded speech, President Tinubu offered a superficial account of his so-called reforms, revealing his own tenuous grasp of policy as he failed to convince his audience.
“While the President has spoken, it is unfortunate that his words lack substance and respect for the protesters’ sentiments, leaving Nigerians with little faith in his reform agenda – if one exists at all,” Atiku said.
He urged the President and his team to “own up to their failures over the past 14 months and abandon the absurd theory that the protests are orchestrated by the opposition.”
This administration, he said, has “failed on all fronts, even in the simple task of keeping a presidential speech confidential.”
Typically, he said “presidential addresses are shared under embargo with media houses. However, the premature leak of this speech, allowing Nigerians to read along with the President in real-time, starkly illustrates the media nay Nigerians’ dwindling confidence in this administration.”
He argued that the “opposition did not create the economic quagmire we find ourselves in; this disaster is solely the result of the Tinubu administration’s trial-and-error policies.”
He stressed, “It is high time they stopped the blame game and faced the reality of their failures.”