The convener of Country First Movement, Prof. Chris Nwokobia, has outlined what President Bola Tinubu ought to do to avert the planned nationwide protest fixed for Thursday, August 1, against prevailing hardship in the country.
Nwokobia said rather than resorting to brandishing treason allegations against some political figures in the country and lavishing funds to dissuade some groups, the President need to come to terms with the prevailing realities and address the situation pragmatically.
Recall the Presidency had described calls for nationwide protests under the hashtags #TinubuMustGo and #Revolution2024 as treasonable.
In a lengthy tweet published on his X account on Saturday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and his supporters were those behind the call for protest.
PUNCH Online reports that there have also been several sponsored conferences held by socio-cultural groups, political groups and student groups, among others, to declare their resolve against the protest so as to dissuade the rising crusade for the protest.
While some state governments have also made efforts to dissuade youths from the protest, it was gathered some other groups would today and in a few days distance themselves from the protest.
Speaking to the issue on Tuesday, while featuring on Arise TV Morning Show Programme. Nwokobia said rather than resorting to threats and efforts by “operators of state” who he said have 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 should be responsive to the present realities.
He mentioned that such an approach to lavish money on groups would not prevent the protest, but would only further “deepen the resolve of those who want to protest.”
“It does not dissuade them”, he said, mentioning “Mr. President must begin to tell those who are using this to cash out, that you’re provoking the people who love their country.”
Speaking on what he would do to avert the protest if he were to be in the shoes of the President, Nwokobia said “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 said President Tinubu ought to move to the lawmakers of the National Assembly “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 said.
Lamenting the heavy drawings of the National Assembly on the country’s purse, and the need to cut down the emoluments of lawmakers, he said “I’m not talking about the paltry tokenist tendency of cutting salaries for six months by half. I’m talking about the total package.
“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 ought to do, he continued, “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 should rather overhaul the system of governance to be responsive to global realities, particularly cutting down the cost of running government, than gaslighting the people.
“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 as the architect of the rousing campaign, saying those surrounding the President who refused to speak the reality of things to the President are his real enemies and of the nation.
“There is absolutely no truth in what Bayo Onanuga said”, Nwokobia mentioned, adding 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 said.
“Mr President must understand that those who truly love him are those who are critical of his watch and you know that the Holy Book said ‘open rebuke is better than secret love’. Those who are sycophants who pat his back when things are going wrong are the haters of not only the President but haters of the presidency and haters of our country.
“When I read what Bayo Onanuga wrote, I wonder what hate he has for Mr. President and 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 said.
He said while Tinubu and Onanuga played a leading role in sponsoring the 2012 protest organised against subsidy reforms introduced by the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan, it was baffling that the Tinubu-led government upon coming to power was fighting hard against the right to protest when the situation in the country 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.”
Speaking on Onanuga’s involvement in the 2012 protest organised against the Jonathan government, and his recent statement alleging Obi of inciting anarchy, Nwokobia said “A lot has changed, he has his hands now perhaps in the cookie jar; a lot has changed, perhaps he just sing the praise of his master; a lot has changed because when people put egocentric interest over and above public interest, they begin to talk from two sides of the mouth.
“In 2022 when we marched out in Ojota against the fuel price increase by the then president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, even our dear president was absolutely in support, materially and morally of that protest. Bayo Onanuga & co hailed our actions… 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 acknowledged that there was an ongoing global economic crisis, lamented that while leaders of countries in the world are taking giant steps to arrest the situation, the leadership in Nigeria’s case “is taking over by greed and profligacy.”
“That’s the pain here” he said, mentioning that when “Onanuga refuses to understand that the right to protest and protestation is intrinsic in the human nature, he fails to understand the right to say no and disagree is recognised, enshrined and respected by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and decided to allege that those who are behind the protest are the Obidients, are the IPOB people and perhaps sponsored and machinated by Peter Gregor Obi, it shows the fact that he loves half truth 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 however said, “I want to say that Mr. President understands the anatomy of protest and protestation. So he should call his spokesperson to order. They should stop provoking the Nigerian people because hunger is indiscriminate of ethnicity, religion or region and hunger is indiscriminate of the tendencies they want to whip 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 urged the youths “to be peaceful about their protestation”, ruling out the approach of censoring youths from protests when things are not working right.
“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 said.
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 not be sustainable, stating that “If the government continues to run this way, there would be more protests after now.”