The convener of Nation First Motion, Prof. Chris Nwokobia, has defined what President Bola Tinubu must do to avert the deliberate national protest mounted for Thursday, August 1, in opposition to frequent woe within the nation.
Nwokobia mentioned instead than resorting to brandishing treason allegations in opposition to some political figures within the nation and lavishing budget to dissuade some teams, the President wish to come to phrases with the frequent realities and cope with the status pragmatically.
Recall the Presidency had described requires national protests below the hashtags #TinubuMustGo and #Revolution2024 as treasonable.
In a long tweet revealed on his X account on Saturday, the Particular Assistant to the President on Knowledge and Technique, Bayo Onanuga, mentioned the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Celebration, Peter Obi, and his supporters had been the ones at the back of the decision for protest.
PUNCH On-line experiences that there have additionally been a number of subsidized meetings held via socio-cultural teams, political teams and scholar teams, amongst others, to claim their get to the bottom of in opposition to the protest in an effort to dissuade the emerging campaign for the protest.
Era some situation governments have additionally made efforts to dissuade teenage from the protest, it used to be amassed some alternative teams would lately and in a couple of days distance themselves from the protest.
Talking to the problem on Tuesday, future that includes on Get up TV Morning Display Programme. Nwokobia mentioned instead than resorting to blackmails and efforts via “operators of state” who he mentioned had been “spending money and calling conferences and throwing money at youth groups and cash thieves and asking them to disown and denounce the protestation”, the President must be responsive to the current realities.
He discussed that such an option to brilliant cash on teams would now not forbid the protest, however would best additional “deepen the resolve of those who want to protest.”
“It does not dissuade them”, he mentioned, bringing up “Mr. President must begin to tell those who are using this to cash out, that you’re provoking the people who love their country.”
Talking on what he would do to avert the protest if he had been to be within the footwear of the President, Nwokobia mentioned “I will speak to the Nigerian people and first of all lampoon spokespersons of state who are inciting conflict and anarchy, then I will talk to Nigerians and tell them I understand their pains. Then I will begin to cut the cost of governance and reduce the size of my cabinet.”
He mentioned President Tinubu must proceed to the lawmakers of the Nationwide Meeting “and say to them you cannot be taking N29 million when Nigerians barely have food.”
“We must cut the cost of sustaining the National Assembly. We cannot continue to spend hundreds of billions on 469 members of the National Assembly every year,” he mentioned.
Lamenting the weighty drawings of the Nationwide Meeting at the nation’s handbag, and the wish to short ailing the emoluments of lawmakers, he mentioned “I’m now not speaking concerning the paltry tokenist tendency of reducing salaries for 6 months via part. I’m speaking concerning the general package deal.
“469 members of the National Assembly members should not be taking more … than over 10,000 workers. There must be a holistic overhaul of our system.”
On what President Tinubu must do, he persevered, “I would come back to the Nigerian people and say to them that this is my total emoluments and I’m cutting it by so per cent and make it effectual. Salaries are going to be paid this week. Show to the Nigerian proof that this has begun.”
Nwokoba submitted that the President must instead overhaul the machine of governance to be attentive to world realities, specifically reducing ailing the price of working govt, than gaslighting the community.
“What is important is for the president to address the fundamental issues that agitate the people, cut down the size of government, cut down the cost of running government, sell some of those presidential aircraft, convince the people that you did not spend another $100million for aircraft, ensure that your ministers and your aides are accountable to the people, cut down the salaries and emoluments of those who serve in government,” he submitted.
He knocked Onanuga for throwing allegations at Obi because the architect of the rousing marketing campaign, pronouncing the ones condition the President who refused to talk the truth of items to the President are his actual enemies and of the crowd.
“There is absolutely no truth in what Bayo Onanuga said”, Nwokobia discussed, including that “you cannot expect a country without critical opposition.”
“If anybody is stoking the fire or stoking the embers of conflict, it is Bayo Onanuga,” he mentioned.
“Mr President will have to needless to say those that in reality love him are those that are important of his keep watch and you understand that the Holy Keep mentioned ‘open rebuke is better than secret love’. Those that are sycophants who pat his again when issues are going fallacious are the haters of now not best the President however haters of the presidency and haters of our nation.
“After I learn what Bayo Onanuga wrote, I miracle what abhor he has for Mr. President and now not love.
“Don’t forget the cliche ‘when a man is down he needs fear no fall’ is true and if Bayo Onanuga understands this reality if he understands that when you go to the market you need N10,000 to buy an average tuber of yam when he understands that this Gen Z generation are aware of what goes on around government that over a $100million was spent in the purchase of a presidential craft when roads connecting to farms and the villages are not well and are not good when he understands the fact that they are out of school and are through with youth service and there is no job…. when he understands that the shortage of food and the spiral rates of inflation affects everybody when he understands that hunger, disease and despondency are beyond ethnicity when he understands that the challenge facing the Nigerian people is beyond partisanship, he would write nicely and seek to create a better environment and perhaps dialogue with those who are grieved,” he mentioned.
He mentioned future Tinubu and Onanuga performed a prominent position in sponsoring the 2012 protest organised in opposition to subsidy reforms offered via the federal government of former President Goodluck Jonathan, it used to be baffling that the Tinubu-led govt upon coming to energy used to be combating parched in opposition to the fitting to protest when the status within the nation has grown worse.
“It pains me that we have a government to remove from reality and we have a government of those who believe that protestation and disagreement with the state is noble and suddenly they are now in power and protestation and disagreement with state has become anarchical. They are now in power and protestation and disagreement with the state is a crime.”
Talking on Onanuga’s involvement within the 2012 protest organised in opposition to the Jonathan govt, and his fresh observation alleging Obi of inciting anarchy, Nwokobia mentioned “A accumulation has modified, he has his palms now possibly within the cookie jar; a accumulation has modified, possibly he simply sing the celebrate of his grasp; a accumulation has modified as a result of when community put selfish hobby over and above population hobby, they start to communicate from two aspects of the mouth.
“In 2022 once we marched out in Ojota in opposition to the gas value build up via the next president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, even our pricey president used to be completely in assistance, materially and morally of that protest. Bayo Onanuga & co hailed our movements… They saluted it.
“Now Nigeria is worse than it was then. That’s the truth, even the president admitted that in his last broadcast.”
Nwokobia who said that there used to be an ongoing world financial extremity, lamented that future leaders of nations on the planet are taking gigantic steps to arrest the status, the management in Nigeria’s case “is taking over by greed and profligacy.”
“That’s the pain here” he mentioned, bringing up that once “Onanuga refuses to needless to say the fitting to protest and protestation is intrinsic within the human nature, he fails to know the fitting to mention incorrect and deny is recognised, enshrined and revered via the charter of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and determined to allege that those that are at the back of the protest are the Obidients, are the IPOB community and possibly subsidized and machinated via Peter Gregor Obi, it displays the truth that he loves part reality and falsehood.
“I want to say without fear of opposition and criticism that the truth is that he is looking a different way. Those who are planning this protest are everywhere across the country. They are the Nigerian young people traumatised by pain hunger and disease.”
He on the other hand mentioned, “I wish to say that Mr. President understands the anatomy of protest and protestation. So he must name his spokesperson to series. They must prevent frightening the Nigerian community as a result of starvation is indiscriminate of ethnicity, faith or patch and starvation is indiscriminate of the inclinations they wish to tug up.
“It is not about IPOB, it is not about Obidients, it is not about Peter Obi, It is about a generation that wants their nation to work.”
He steered the teenage “to be peaceful about their protestation”, ruling out the means of censoring teenage from protests when issues aren’t running proper.
“The truth is no matter how much the system tries to gaslight them, no matter how much youth groups and organisations that are paid to discountenance and distance themselves from the planned protest, no matter how badly the system works propaganda against the protest, it’s their right and let me assure you that this generation would protest,” he mentioned.
Nwokobia submitted that “what is important is for Mr President and the security to reach out to them and ensure the protestation is peaceful.”
He argued that efforts to gaslight the protest would now not be sustainable, pointing out that “If the government continues to run this way, there would be more protests after now.”