Some residents of Awka, the capital of Anambra have expressed mixed reactions to President Bola Tinubu’s address on Sunday over the ongoing nationwide hunger protest….READ FULL ARTICLE...READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE ▶▶
Those who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria said while the address was timely and empathetic, it failed to touch on some of the issues which led to the protest.
Mr Chris Azor, the Coordinator, Anambra State Civil Society Network (ASCONET) said the President was able to highlight some of the steps his administration was taking to ameliorate the numerous challenges he met on assuming office.
Azor, a Good Governance advocate, said the speech did not provide measures to address the grouses of the masses in the immediate term.
He said among the demands of protesters were realities of hunger and hardship, spike in cost of living as a result of removal of full subsidy, floating of the local currency, insecurity and unemployment.
“The President did not say anything about insecurity, fuel subsidy removal, the humongous cost of governance, and how to tackle them immediately.
“We did not see specifics and timeline on how to solve the issue of hike in prices of food items, social services and galloping inflation.
“Furthermore, the President’s language betrays fixation with political opponents as the cause of the crisis, it is a curious misreading and understanding of the core existential issues,” he said.
Azor said the warning to ethnic bigots was welcome but urged the president to arrest and prosecute promoters to serve as deterrent for others.
He said the Civil Society was worried about the high cost of governance and called for implementation of the Oronsaye Panel report to right size Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as reduce duplication of functions….READ FULL ARTICLE
