When Will President Tinubu Address Nigerians? (EDITORIAL)
President Bola Tinubu is not a green horn in the polity: he knows what to do at the appropriate time, but his team is yet to communicate with the people of the country on the date and time he would address the country, at least to call for a calm. His speech would go a long way to soothe some people and help to prevent a possible breakdown of law and order.
There is a plan to protest across the country. The awareness is massive and virtually everyone including people in the remotest part of the country has got the information about the protest, which the unknown organisers say will be throughout the country. As a matter of fact, protest has started in se parts of the country.
That means it is getting late for the president to come out and directly talk to the people. He has shared his opinion while talking at some events and through his media team including the minister of information and national orientation Mohammed Idris as well a his strategist, Bayo Onanuga.
He told Nigerians that it’s their rights to protest peaceful. He however added that the planners of the protest do not love the country. He didn’t provide more explanations, but Nigerians are seriously yearning for a change to the current system which has deeply impoverished them.
Several of his ministers have appeared upset just by the protests. Mr. Nyesom Wike has even appeared combative threatening subtly the protesters saying that the streets of Abuja are not meant for them. Mr. Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Interior Minister, Mr. Bello Matawalle, the minister of state for defence have all told Nigerians to shelve the plan for protest.
While it’s true that they are representing the government, the voices can’t be compared with the president’s. Whatever he tells Nigerians will go a very long way to stop or accelerate the plans of the people to occupy the street.
President Tinubu will need to come out and appeal to the people of the country. He can’t fold his arms and allow time to solve the problems. Several millions of people still believe in his capacity to lead the country out of the woods. They know that he inherited most of the problems though from the government he backed with all he had.
He needs to come out and talk to the streets, to the people to stop the plan for the protest. His silence can have lots of interpretation out there and his appointees, who are actually doing the jobs they are paid for, are not helping the matter. They are just fuelling the problem while attempting to whittle down the resolve of the people to protest.
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