Obj, IBB absent as Buhari, Jonathan, ex-leaders pass vote of confidence in Tinubu

• Buhari took Nigeria 30 years back, youth leader alleges
• Protests: Why FG should review economic policies, by Adegboruwa

Former Nigerian leaders, General Yakubu Gowon, Muhammadu Buhari, Goodluck Jonathan, and General Abdulsalami Abubakar, yesterday passed a vote of confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s leadership of the nation and declared readiness to resist any attempt at an unconstitutional change of government.

This was the outcome of the National Council of State meeting, which President Tinubu presided over at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The council comprises the President as chairman and Vice President as deputy chairman, all living former Heads of State and Presidents, all former Chief Justices of Nigeria, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, all state governors and Attorney-General of the Federation as members.

It is an organ of the federal government saddled with the responsibility of advising the executive on policymaking.

Both former Presidents Buhari and Jonathan attended the meeting physically, and General Gowon and Abubakar joined virtually.

However, Olusegun Obasanjo and General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida were absent.

Rising from the closed-door meeting that lasted several hours, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the Governor of Kwara State and the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), said the council unanimously passed a vote of confidence in Tinubu for the way he has governed the country. He said the council also expressed satisfaction with the ministers’ presentations on the economy’s progress.

“Members, especially those of the NGF, were satisfied with the presentation by the members of the Federal Executive Council, and after that meeting, there was an executive session between members of the NGF and Mr President.

“Frank and fruitful discussions were held between both parties, and I’m glad to say we’re on the right track. In the same vein, members of the NGF, like the members of the Council of State, also passed a vote of confidence in Mr President. We also wished him well and prayed for God’s guidance.”

Also speaking, Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake said the council praised Tinubu for resisting a forceful takeover of the government.

Alake, who described the recent #EndBadGovernance action as not a protest but a movement, said the council affirmed that nobody would be allowed to change the government except through the ballot box.

Describing the action by the aggrieved persons as a decoy “to effect a change of regime by force, Alake commended Nigerians for “resisting the unconstitutional move to change the government,” saying, “if anybody is not satisfied with the government or the current administration, there’s always an election coming. So, you wait for the election and cast your vote.”

He affirmed the council’s position that any unconstitutional change of government would not be tolerated.

He revealed that seven ministers presented to the council on the progress being made on the economy. Also, the National Security Adviser (NSA) allayed all fears, assuring that “nobody will be allowed to truncate our hard-earned democracy.

Any change of government has to be through the ballot and not through the barrel of the gun, insurrection or any other unconstitutional means. Only through the ballot box can anybody be changed.”

For his part, the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, said: “I updated on the economy, updating them on how far progress has been made in terms of the macroeconomic policies being followed under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“These policies are anchored in his eight priority areas, and the results have been encouraging. We reported an optimistic outlook for the Nigerian economy and the Nigerian society in general, as a result of prospects for economic growth and economic progress.”

THIS came as a youth leader, Comrade Jude Imagwe, alleged that former President Muhammadu Buhari dragged the country 30 years back while at the helm of governance between 2015 to 2023.

Speaking to youths commemorating the 2024 International Youth Day in Abuja, he claimed that the former President implemented policies that destroyed the nation’s economy.

Imagwe, a Special Adviser on Youth Matters to former President Goodluck Jonathan, said: “I sympathise with Tinubu; this is the worst of all times to be President of Nigeria. Any other President would have faced the problem he is facing today. Unfortunately, Tinubu is still finding it difficult to convince Nigerians of what he is facing.”

MEANWHILE, a human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), has urged the federal government to reconsider some of its economic policies to reduce Nigerians’ pain and hunger.

The senior lawyer said further protests could occur if hunger and pain continue.

“The protests are over, and the question is, what is next? Let the government set up a committee of eminent persons nationwide to examine the issues. Are people suffering? Yes. Are the policies of the government helping to reduce the pains and pangs of hunger and poverty? No. Will there be further protests if the hunger and pains continue? Yes,” Adegboruwa said.

“This requires no rocket science to figure out. The Constitution stipulates that the primary purpose of any government shall be the security and welfare of the people. Any economic policy that impoverishes the people should be re-examined.”

Reflecting on the 10-day #EndBadGovernance protests, Adegboruwa suggested that the protesters could learn from the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Academic Staff Union of Universities. He said these groups have effective leadership and coordination that help prevent infiltration by persons with different agendas.

He said: “First is to always agree on and communicate the objective of the protest, in this case, to end hunger, poverty and reversal of some of the economic policies of the government, especially fuel subsidy removal and devaluation of the naira. This is because such struggle will surely involve short, medium and long-term goals, since in this case, the protests were to last 10 days, meaning that some of the objectives may not be attainable within the period of the protests.”

Adegboruwa criticised the statement by one of the organisers that only a “hungry lawyer” should represent them.

He said: “I was shocked when my attention was drawn to an interview on national television by one of the organisers of the protests, who said that they can only be represented by a hungry lawyer. We used to call this ‘infantile radicalism’ in those days in school when young comrades with little or no experience worked to undo themselves.

“The young man’s logic was that as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, I could not be hungry enough to feel the pangs of the protesters. So, the Take It Back Movement did not know of my status before I was engaged to facilitate protection for them and to dialogue with the police? What do hunger and status have to do with the struggle? Obafemi Awolowo, Alfred Rewane, Beko Ransome-Kuti, Ndubuisi Kanu, Balarabe Musa, etc, were not poor by any standards. Yet, they offered themselves, at critical times in our nation, to fight for the people.”

The senior lawyer also urged the government to enhance its intelligence and response systems. He pointed out that the failure to monitor and address potential violence, as seen in Kano, underscores the need for proactive measures.