Hardship protests: Why Tinubu's govt failed in taking measures against violence, unrest, security expert reveals

• Ademario Emmanuel, Director General of CONYSSA, identified critical stakeholder meetings that could have helped involving all political parties,
• Emmanuel criticized Nigeria’s security agencies for not engaging youth leaders before the protests
• The security expert emphasized the importance of intelligence gathering in preventing unrest

FCT, Abuja - Following the widespread poverty, hunger and economic hardship in Nigeria, many distraught Nigerians, particularly the youths took to the streets nationwide to clamour for good governance.

The protests, which began Thursday, August 1, and ended on Saturday, August 10, were accompanied by reports of looting and vandalism, as well as accusations that security forces have used excessive force.

Security expert, Ademario criticizes President Tinubu's govt for 'poor' handling hardship protests Photo credit: Ademario Emmanuel/Bola Ahmed Tinubu/Omoyele Sowore
Source: Facebook

However, things took a new direction when some 'protesters', in Kaduna began to raise the Russian flag, which has trailed controversies.

In light of this, a security analyst, and Director General of the Coalition of Nigerian Youths on Security and Safety Affairs (CONYSSA), Ademario Emmanuel, who spoke with Legit.ng on Wednesday, August 13, condemned the protest.

Ademario also highlighted some actions the Tinubu-led administration failed to take to avert the violence, looting and destruction of multi-million properties, particularly in the north.

Tinubu, security agencies failed to take proactive actions

He criticized both President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and Nigeria’s security agencies for not taking proactive steps to prevent the unrest that greeted the protests.

However, he cited the successful approach of the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa which could have been a model to avert the violence.

He said Ondo State Governor proactive approach to addressing tensions before they escalated.

He said:

“We raised concerns with the governor, and he responded by calling for a critical stakeholders meeting."Regardless of political affiliation—whether PDP, LP, or APC—Governor Akeredolu brought everyone together."

Security agencies missed opportunity for dialogue, says Ademario

The expert criticized the security agencies for their delayed response in engaging with youth stakeholders.

Ademario lamented:

"We advised the security agencies to quickly organize a meeting with youth leaders to diffuse the situation, but they didn't listen. "It was only after the protests that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) decided to hold a youth conference, which turned out to be a flop. "Key figures like the Youth President, Muslim Youth President, and NANS President weren’t even present."

He suggested that security agencies should have involved many youth leaders and stakeholders, including past student union leaders and youth leaders across political lines, who have strong grassroots connections.

He added:

"Heads of organizations should have been persuaded to be on the ground, but the security agencies were not ready to use the funds available to them for such a task."

Ademario: Lack of appreciation of intelligence

The security expert emphasized that intelligence gathering is crucial in preventing violence and unrest.

He criticized the Nigerian government and security agencies for not allocating resources effectively for intelligence work.

He said:

"My brother, intelligence rules the world. Nigerian security agencies are not ready to invest in intelligence, and that’s why we’re failing."

He pointed to the North as an example, where protests over bad governance led to significant damage.

He said:

"If intelligence had been prioritized, we wouldn't have seen the destruction we did. Billions were lost, and it could have been prevented."

IGP Egbetokun says police didn't Use live ammunition on protesters

Earlier, Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), clarified that security forces did not use live ammunition against protesters during the #EndBadGovernance demonstration.

He maintained that agencies refrained from deploying "excessive force" during the protests.

Source: Legit.ng