The organisers of the #Endbadgovernance protest in Osun State on Sunday said that President Bola Tinubu speech did not address any of their complaints.
During his nationwide broadcast, the President urged the protesters to halt their protest and allow for dialogue.
However, speaking at the protest site, Freedom Park on Sunday, Ajala Adetunji, Coordinator of the Coalition of Concerned Nigeria Citizens said that the group would meet later to discuss the next steps, but the protest is still ongoing because the President has not addressed their concerns.
What they’re saying
“Our protest is not a one-man show, particularly in the case of Osun. In his presentation this morning, President Bola Tinubu did not address any of our issues.
“The president did not specify what the administration will do to address the aspirations of the youth. The president’s plea for conversation is an open-ended appeal with no clear indication of what will happen”.
“However, we are still going to meet to deliberate but as it stands, the protest continues in Osun.” He concluded
Similarly, Comrade Emmanuel Olowu, Secretary of the Osun Coalition of Civil Societies, who is also participating in the protest, stated that the President’s call to end and embrace dialogue will be discussed at a gathering of the various groups later in the day.
“ In terms of the President’s speech, he did not address our concerns; but, that being said, we will meet later to decide the next steps in the protest.
“We are leading a movement for Nigerians, but the people will ultimately decide which course the protest should take,”
In Essence
The protesters’ main criticism is that President Tinubu’s speech lacked specific details on how the government plans to address their concerns. This highlights the importance of clear and actionable plans in government communications to effectively engage with public demands.
The continuation of the protest despite the President’s call for dialogue indicates significant public discontent and a demand for more than just verbal assurances.
This suggests that many citizens feel their voices are not being heard or adequately addressed by the government.
