The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organization, Afenifere, has advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to refrain from assigning blame in the wake of the protests against his administration.
The group pointed out that Tinubu had previously called for a revolution against former President Goodluck Jonathan, and, therefore, should not be apportioning blame now.
According to Prince Justice Fakiyesi, National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, the president’s speech failed to address the real issues of widespread hunger in the country.
Fakiyesi emphasized that it was disingenuous for Tinubu to dismiss the nationwide protest as politically motivated, especially considering his own past actions under Jonathan’s administration.
Speaking to the press on Monday, Fakiyesi stated, “It is the same thing that happened under former President Goodluck Jonathan and he (Tinubu) called for a revolution or protest, and when he is facing the same thing and even worse, he is blaming other people.
“We never believed that just calling for dialogue would change anything. He has never changed.
“I think he was pushed to read the speech because it was not a matter of dialogue or him addressing people about the exact policy that brought hunger, and since he is not willing to reverse or accept responsibility, because he more or less said it was politically motivated.
“When he started, and he specifically said that subsidy is dead, he said you can protest as much as you like. He said that. He knew that his policies were going to bring protests. At his age, he knows that there have been all sorts of protests against subsidy removal.”