President Bola Tinubu’s Sunday nationwide broadcast was criticised by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed as a “empty statement,” saying it made the hunger protest worse. However, Mohammed, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum had his claim dismissed by the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“I am not the spokesman for the President but I certainly know that the speech of the President is very empty,” stated Mohammed, speaking just after an emergency security meeting at the Bauchi State Government House on Monday night. It’s actually making everything worse.
In a broadcast on Sunday, the president urged the populace and young people to put a stop to the hunger strike, which started on August 1. He justified his actions by removing the gasoline subsidy and floating the naira as a means of preventing the country’s economy from collapsing completely.
During the broadcast, the President listed some of the initiatives his government had taken, such as the money given to governors to help them weather the storm.
The governor of Bauchi State, however, asserted that prior to the broadcast, the President ought to have paid attention to the state governors.
“He should have listened to us because we also listen to our local government chairmen. He speaks in a manner that does not show sympathy with the youth.
“We are with the protesters in Bauchi State, but, at the same time, we are not with them in terms of unleashing harm and destruction of lives and properties,” he said.
Mohammed clarified that all of the stakeholders were present in the security meeting on Monday to talk about the protests against the nation’s poor governance, hunger, and rage.
Mohammed noted the extreme poverty, rage, and hunger that the nation was experiencing and emphasised that the current state of affairs required more than simply words—rather, practical action.
However, the ruling APC’s National Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, disagreed with him and asked, “What was he saying? The President has met multiple times with leaders of sociocultural communities, emirs, governors, and traditional leaders such as the Arewa Consultative Forum. During these meetings, he made it very plain that the moment had come for the people to hold their governors accountable.
These governors have received large sums of money, but they have not been using them wisely or in a way that will allow development to trickle down to the general populace.
“This means the governors have been the engine of corruption in the country and they have not been doing what is expected of them by way of giving the dividends of democracy to the people, thereby making the people point fingers at the President.
“At no time has the Federal Government given as much money to the state governments as being done under the present administration of Bola Tinubu. What are they doing with the money?”
“They should stop playing politics with poverty. Let them concentrate on the mandate and show proof that they are judiciously the resources given to them, not putting blame on the president every time.”
