Protest: ‘Terribly underwhelming to read’ – Oby Ezekwesili trashes Tinubu’s Sunday address

Former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s Sunday address to Nigerians concerning the ongoing nationwide protests against bad governance in the country.

The ex-minister said the speech was terribly underwhelming to read.

Ezekwesili said Tinubu’s speech was a monumental missed opportunity to placate citizens with sound answers and an outline of convincing evidence-based actions that his government will take to address bad governance in the country.

The government critic claimed the speech was written from a mindset focused on “getting back at Tinubu’s imaginary enemies.

Newspot reported that Tinubu addressed the nation on Sunday concerning the ongoing nationwide protests.

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The President in his speech ruled out the return of fuel subsidy and asked organizers of the protest to withdraw from the street.

However, in a statement on her X handle on Sunday, the former Minister said it is unfortunate to see Nigerian public “Leaders” talk and behave like losers on matters of public governance.

She said: “@officialABAT , As one of millions of Nigerians who were at church when you delivered your late-in-coming Speech to Citizens on the #EndBadGovernancelnNigeria protests, let me loudly say it was terribly underwhelming to read.

‘Your Speech reads like a page from your party manifesto and terribly failed to connect to what our Citizens on the Streets are angry and protesting about.

‘Your speech is quite a monumental missed opportunity to placate citizens with sound answers and outline of convincing evidence-based actions that you and your @NigeriaGov will immediately take to address the priority #BadGovernance concerns.

“Your Speech was sadly again written out of a mindset that is focused on “getting back at our enemies”. Imaginary enemies at that! No true Leader has the luxury of having “enemies” among their Citizens. Not at all. A Public Leader becomes the Leader of ALL with a mind that does not think of any as their enemies.

“This is why it is ever unfortunate to see Nigerian public “Leaders” talk and behave like Losers on matters of public governance where they are expected to rally their ALL Citizens behind the common purpose of nation building.

“It is nauseating to observe this recurrent innate unwillingness of Nigerian public leaders to admit responsibility for the demands of the same public leadership that they kill and maim citizens to assume.

“@officialABAT, Citizens know when they are being badly governed and from what one can see, Nigerians have now realized that they must collectively speak up and take action otherwise their self-obsessed rulers (and not leaders) will not pay them any heed at all.

“As we remember and pray for families of all our citizens mauled down or maimed for demanding an End to Bad Governance, let me call on you @officialABAT to immediately instruct the IG @PoliceNG and his men to “STOP KILLING PEACEFUL PROTESTERS NOW!”

“Also fish out all law enforcement personnel that have killed and maimed citizens and ensure they are sanctioned as a deterrence to their colleagues.”