#EndBadGovernance Protest: A Catalyst Of Change Or Chaos

The #EndBadGovernance protest which ended with a one million-march after 10 days has being an eye opener to all and sundry.

The combination of economic mismanagement and pervasive insecurity have led to unprecedented levels of hunger, anger, and poverty across the nation and the resultant effect was the nationwide protests.

The immediate catalysts for the protest was the removal of fuel subsidies and the sudden decision to float the Naira, two policies whose poor execution only exacerbated the nation’s already dire economic situation.

The protests, which was more like testing the waters, have shown the extent of the widespread economic hardship in the country and indicated to the government that their policies have a humongous effect on the populace.

The demonstration highlighted the pressing economic and governance issues facing the country.

While it succeeded in drawing attention to these challenges, its success was limited by the violence and controversial elements that accompanied it.

One might ask if the protest truly changed anything considering the negative effect it had on the nation.

Four people were reportedly shot dead in Borno State and four in Niger State.

Three protesters were allegedly killed in Kaduna State and two in Jigawa State, bringing the total number deaths to at least 14.

In Kano State, four protesters were critically injured and taken to hospital.

A report from the United Action Front of Civil Society claimed that 21 protesters were killed and over 1,100 arrested by police on the first day of the protests. Additionally, 175 people were injured.

Does the negative outcome of the protest outweigh the positive outcome?

Considering Present Bola Tinubu’s response to the agitators, one might say that this is a debatable question.

Tinubu, while addressing the protesters urged them to suspend their demonstrations, explaining that his administration’s efforts “will soon be visible and concrete for everyone to see, feel, and enjoy.”

However, the President conspicuously failed to address the protesters demands.

The demonstrators had called for the reversal of fuel subsidy, electricity tariffs, naira floating amongst others.

In the the aftermath of the protests, it is natural to question whether the protests achieved its intended objectives? What tangible gains, if any, were secured? And, most importantly, what comes next?

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Naija News, human rights activist and the National spokesperson for the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Mark Adebayo shares his thoughts on EndBadGovernance protest and what must be done to curb the economic crisis in the country.

Do you think the protest succeeded in passing across the grievances of the citizenry to the government?

“I want to believe that to an extent the protest sent a clear message to the government, not that they are not aware that there is hardship in the land. Not that they are not aware that there is hunger and under development in the land. They and the class of people in government are ruining the country.

“They know the extent to which they have ruined and underdeveloped the country.

“The protest made them uneasy, they were not sure what the outcome would be. They were afraid. And if the people had not gone ahead they would likely have taken Nigeria for granted forever.

“But they saw what happened and saw that it could have gone out of hand, the way it was going. It could have been something bigger than EndSars.

“To that extent they passed the message across. The president came to address the nation. Something that should have been done proactively. A good leader would have addressed the country even before the protest.

“It was after two to three days of protest that he decided to address the nation. His speech boiled down to nothing. It was nothing to write home about.”

Do you think the demands of protesters which included the reversal of fuel subsidy, electricity tariffs hike, floating of currency, reduction in cost of governance were too far fetched and unrealistic?

“It is debatable if the issue of subsidy removal is reversed or not. It made economic sense to remove the subsidy, but the way it was removed was very wrong.

“But whether it should be reversed is debatable. What I know is achievable by the government almost immediately is the reduction in the wastage, blocking of wastages.

“You know this government is renovating the house of the vice president for ₦120 billion.

“What I know that can be done for a serious and patriotic government that really means well for this country is that we can cut costs of governance almost immediately.

“First of all these governors having 200 cars, the president having 500 cars, the presidency having a fleet of presidential jet. All these are not required. They are not needed.

“And you certainly don’t need 100 private assistants, executive assistant, personal assistant, wife assistant. All these rubbish must go.

“They have to cut costs, and the president does not have to be traveling every other day in the name of whatever.

“Because these things cost money. Every time the president goes out we are looking at ₦2 billion, ₦3 billion, ₦5 billion spent.

“Because even to fuel the presidential jet alone is a lot of money.

“So we can cut costs almost immediately.

“The senators have exposed themselves to collecting ₦21 million per month. We can reduce that to ₦5 million.

“As for the subsidy, I doubt if that can happen. Because this country has been broke from the time of Buhari. We thought whoever would take over from him was coming to make the country better but reverse is the case.

“If the president indeed wants his policies to benefit us, let him and his ministers stop living their expensive lifestyle.

“These people don’t care about us, the policies are not working for the masses, but are working for them.

“Nobody should expect anything good from this government. The floating of the naira is killing the naira and diminishing the economy.

“President Bola Tinubu prepared to be president but never prepared to govern.

“The removal of the subsidy is to punish the innocent for the sins of the guilty.”

Do you think Tinubu’s failure to address and acknowledge the demand of the protesters might lead to a more dangerous protest?

“There could be a spontaneous eruption of protest in the country at any time.

“Once it is spontaneous it would be out of control and the people will attack anybody that is a little bit well to do or wealthy, whether that person is in government or not.

“The collateral damage will be too humongous. There are a lot of hoodlums that do not even know what they are protesting about.

“These are the kind of things that gets me worried in every protest whether organized or spontaneous because the collateral damage is always much. It outbalances the benefit of it. The president was just talking to himself in his address. It was an empty long speech, it did not address the demands of the people.

“I do not support any unorganized protest because if you look at it critically as a student of revolutionary history I am aware that people have never succeeded in taking over the government.

“It is the elite class that benefits from the bloodshed in a revolution.

“If we have an extended protest in Nigeria soldiers will take over and we will loose our rights and democracy.”

What are your thoughts on the refusal of southeast states to join the protest?

Does this not show an ethnic division that should be addressed. Despite their silence an ‘Igbo must go’ agenda was raised.

“The ethnicity in this country did not start today. First of all let me comment on this ‘Igbo must go’ agitation. It is a very stupid idea for anybody to say that anybody should leave or go.

“Of course some of the Igbos are saying they want to go because they are being shortchanged. But they are also not helping matters because if you go online you see them insulting Yorubas, Hausas, everybody. Saying they are the best this and that.

“All those Igbos doing that are also increasing the hatred towards Igbos, because if you say you are the best despite the wonderful records of other ethnic nationalities in the country you cannot claim to be the best.

“Every one of us have our own basis of excellence. So nobody should come and say we are the ones that build somebody cities. We are the ones that dominate this place. And you are trying to push it down their throats, come online and insult people. Some of the attacks on them, they brought it on themselves.

“I must be very frank about this. I don’t believe in ethnic political bigotry, but they are causing all these things. The fact that they stayed away from the protest is just to say that you brought it upon yourself so don’t disturb us. We did not vote for Tinubu, so if you want to protest go and protest, that is your business. We will rather sit down and face our business.

“I think they were also afraid that if they participated in it there could be a backlash that they would not be able to handle and that fear is real because many people actually would have seen it as a time to deal with them.

“Our ethnic division runs very deep and we have never been one. Don’t be deceived it did not start today.

“Even pre-independence we have never been one. We have never had a real nationalist.

“That division has always been there.

“It takes a revolutionary and patriotic leader to lead this country. To blind our ethnic spot and make us think like Nigerians.

“We do not have such leaders for Now. Igbos will be the biggest losers if this country collapses because their businesses are all over Nigeria. I support that Igbos should be added to the scheme of things.

“But look at IPOB and ESN and the things they are doing in the east. They are killing themselves, destroying their businesses all in the name that they are fighting Nigeria, declaring stay at home on Monday when people are busy working. Our problems can only be fixed by a competent and a patriotic leader and we don’t have that yet.”