Nigerians Tell Tinubu How To #EndBadGovernance

•Downsize cabinet, reduce cost of governance

•Fight corruption with all sincerity

•Stop crude oil theft

•Reverse harsh economic policies

•End culture of impunity

•Fight insecurity, boost agriculture

•Invest substantially in critical sectors

•Ensure justice, equity, rule of law

•Ensure electoral reforms

By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South; Dayo Johnson, Regional Editor, South West; Sam Oyadongha; Egufe Yafugborhi; Rotimi Ojomoyela; Chioma Onuegbu; Ozioruva Aliu; Daniel Abia; Emem Idio; Ochuko Akuopha; Laolu Elijah; Shina Abubakar; James Ogunnaike; Adeola Badru & Chancel Sunday

The 10-day nationwide protest against hunger which kicked off on August 1 ends today but not without casualties. Nigerians who went on the streets across the country demanded an end to the hardship they were going through as a result of unfavourable government policies. They wanted an end to what they called bad governance.

The protest was peaceful in the southern part of the country. But in the north, it was marked with violence resulting in the loss of lives and destruction of property and the governors of some northern states had no choice but to declare curfew to restrict movement and avert further chaos. The nationwide protest may have expired, leaving on its trail deaths and destruction.

The protesters may have left the streets. But Nigerians have not stopped asking for an end to bad governance. They have continued to insist on having good governance in Nigeria.

Eminent Nigerians including lawyers, activists, traditional rulers, academics and political leaders have therefore reflected on the 10-day national protest and agreed that the government must address the concerns of the protesters if we must have peace in the country. To have good governance, they were unanimous in their call for a reduction in the cost of governance and to revert to the old pump price of petroleum products.

They also argued that there must be transparency and accountability in government activities and the government must be resolute in the fight against corruption. They want the government of Ahmed Bola Tinubu to downsize his cabinet of 42 ministers, hundreds of aides etc.

They are outraged that the government has failed in the fight against crude oil theft which is ravaging the economy.

The government’s failure is also manifest in the insecurity that has chased our farmers out of the farms, resulting in a high cost of food.

The opulence of the elite especially those in government and those who have businesses with government is another source of concern that must be put to an end. The critical stakeholders of the Nigerian project also demanded electoral reforms and a return to the parliamentary system of government.

Government must make substantial investments in critical sectors —Femi Aborisade, human right activist

“There’s an urgent need for the government to implement substantive reforms to restore public trust. The protests are a clear indication that the Nigerian people have had enough of the corruption, inefficiency and lack of accountability in government.

Government must put an end to the culture of impunity. Government must improve public service delivery by making substantial investments in critical sectors like healthcare, education and infrastructure to meet the basic needs of citizens.

More avenues should be created for citizens to engage with the government and provide input on policy decisions, as democracy requires meaningful public participation. We must eliminate manipulation and ensure the will of the people is reflected in the outcomes.”

New constitution will bring about good governance —Hon Peter Umoh, former federal lawmaker

“The Federal government should set up a Constituent Assembly to make a new constitution for Nigeria.

Only a new constitution will bring about good governance in the country as amendment to the constitution has not moved the country forward despite the billions of naira spent by the National Assembly for such amendments over the years.

When I was in the House of Representatives and the issue of constitution amendment came up I was the only member who spoke against it and I gave cogent reasons for that. I opted for a brand new constitution.

Maybe some members were interested in how much money had been allocated in the budget for the constitution amendment. The Federal Government should also take bold and practical steps to return Nigeria to the parliamentary system of government. The presidential system as we practice it is too expensive. We must go back to the parliamentary system. It will help to cut the cost of governance and size of government. The president should reduce the number of Ministers to 37, that is one Minister from each state, and one for the Federal Capital Territory FCT (Abuja).

These are practical solutions that can bring about good governance. And why is the federal government interested in the importation of petrol? Any president who is interested in the importation of petrol is a suspect”.

We need a fundamental constitutional restructuring — Abagun Kole Omololu, National Organising Secretary, Afenifere

“The basic truth is that the present administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu can not change the endemic bad governance in Nigeria as the country is presently constituted.

We must agree that we are a multicultural ethnic group of people with diverse cultural values and beliefs. For example, is it culturally acceptable to bear several children and throw them into the streets to beg for alms for survival? Whereas, it is a thing of joy for some parents to sell their house to fund their children’s education in some parts of our country.

We need a fundamental constitutional restructuring in this country to put our country in proper foundation to be called a nation. Our leaders should stop holding us together at gunpoint”.

Rev David Ugolor, Executive Director, African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ),

“The reason for bad governance in Nigeria is lack of transparency and accountability.

A classic example is our NDDC which is supposed to be a platform for making sure that development happens in the Niger Delta region, which is the oil-producing area. But the NDDC has been badly managed over the years and under Tinubu’s regime, nothing has changed.

NDDC is a cesspool of corruption and it is the same in other government agencies and MDAs where there is no accountability. So there is a lack of accountability and transparency under the Tinubu administration.

Govt must reverse all unfriendly economic policies and programmes —Prof Benjamin Okaba, President of the Ijaw National Congress

“In order to foster good governance in Nigeria, the government must commit itself to addressing the concerns of the protesters. It must reverse all unfriendly economic policies and programmes and ensure transparency in governance, resource allocation, and decision-making processes.

It must implement concrete measures to alleviate poverty and hunger, such as food assistance programs, job creation initiatives, and economic empowerment schemes. The government should also inspire unity, offer a vision for a better future, and work towards inclusive development.

Cut down cost of governance —Joseph Ambakaderimo, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Community

Development Committees of Niger Delta oil and gas producing area

“The only way bad government could be eliminated in Nigeria is to cut down on the huge cost of governance and direct the extra funds into developing the agro-business sector of the economy. Government must deliberately block several loopholes from which monies are siphoned out of the system for selfish gains.

One of such ways is to cut down on the high cost of governance. Make politics unattractive to politicians and make the anti-graft agencies very effective.

Investment in agriculture by local, state and federal government agencies must be made deliberate.

With agriculture, we can secure employment for the teaming youths. We can also guarantee food security in the country. What we see happening now is because people are hungry. So, we must invest deliberately”.

“Nigeria is a nation in distress, the populace is stressed, poverty is now a common feature, therefore living is burdensome, yet we don’t want to die. Thus it becomes very operational that people must react and seek an end to the malady our day to day living has become.

For over a year, we have all endured, our endurance is breaking, we have been confronted with a hitherto unimaginable devaluation of our Naira, we are being punished with a fuel price regime that is callously expensive, yet unstable and President Tinubu says he is giving us “renewed hope” and I beg to ask, what is hope and its renewal?

The citizenry is disappointed that Tinubu came to power unprepared and does not seem to be in grips with the many challenges that continue to besiege our nation. We are disappointed that there is no economic blueprint to rescue the nation from its doldrums.

Our government seems to be pursuing only the dictates of the Bretton Woods institutions whose policies only underwhelmed the economy of all nations under its influence. Nigerians had no other choice than to react.

It is time for President Tinubu to rise to the occasion and prove his mettle. Tinubu desired the office, laboured tenaciously to attain it, he must make a difference in the life of the nation positively. The protest may have abated for now, but if positive developments do not begin to happen now, it is a question of time, another uproar is loading.

David-West Bekinwariye David, Chairman, Civil Liberties Organization, Bayelsa State

“The government of President Bola Tinubu should as a matter of urgency fix the nation’s refineries and commence the supply of crude oil to Dangote refinery in Nigeria naira as the president directed. Again the Federal Government should do everything to grow the economy and bring down the rising rate of inflation in the country.

There should be a reduction in fuel pump price, in order to also crash the cost of transportation of goods and services in the country. The cost of governance must be reduced both at the federal level and the state level. State governors must also key into the policies and programmes of the Federal Government.”

Miakpor Emiaso, Retired President, Delta State Area Customary court

“Good governance is that kind of governance that is founded on fairness, justice, equity and rule of law.

Good governance is not that kind of governance that is founded on personal whims and caprices where the person holding a government office does things just the way he likes it and the way he feels like doing it, but that he does it according to what the rules provide that this is the way to do it. Once he does it according to the rules, he would have succeeded in running a transparent government which trickles down to benefit the people.

In Nigeria, persons who are in government think they are all-knowing, all-wise, have monopoly of wisdom and think that the way they decide to do things must be the way to go and everybody must accept it. No, that is tyranny and dictatorial.

That is not the way to run a democracy that has been very well defined as a government of the people, by the people and for the people.”

Blessing Adima, political activist

“To have good governance in Nigeria, our electoral system needs to be reformed; the people need to have a say. Here, the people will vote and INEC will decide whoever it wants to govern the people. To have good governance, we need to strengthen our judiciary and electoral system. The country needs restructuring. These are the things that will result in good governance in Nigeria.”

Comrade Sheriff Mulade, Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ,

The federal government must take drastic steps to address the critical economic hardship as demanded by Nigerians.

It is imperative to state that over 80% of Nigerians are directly or indirectly involved in the protest because of economic hardship, therefore the government should not undermine the demands and concerns raised. I strongly appeal to President Bola Tinubu to reconsider the pump price of petroleum products for six months pending when the Port-Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries are functional.

The President Tinubu-led federal government should, as a matter of urgency, address the following: Tackling and ending insecurity challenges to guarantee food security especially for our farmers, display of exemplary leadership by cutting cost of governance, which must be followed by state governors and genuinely strengthening the EFCC and ICPC to end corruption irrespective of political affiliations.

High Chief Mike Loyibo, traditional prime minister, Tuomo Kingdom

“The President Bola Armed Tinubu-led federal government should show exemplary leadership by cutting the cost of governance as well as the state governors. I appeal to Mr President to reconsider his decision on the pump price of petroleum products which is going up day by day.

Secondly, the federal government should ensure food security and price regulation to enforce control of the ever-rising food prices in the country. I urge the government to work in collaboration with the private sector to create job opportunities for the teaming youths on the streets”.

Tope Temokun, human right activist and lawyer

“If senators could be hiring about 2,000 aides, why will the youth not sing praises of their oppressors instead of getting engaged in creative jobs outside politicians’ tables? The allowances of political office holders drain the country of blood and oxygen for survival.

Politicians break the banks to bankroll elections because they see politics as business. The first thing to change this old belief is to cut the earnings of political office holders to make it more of selfless service than business”.

Comrade Bankole Solomon, Chairman, Coalition of Civil Society Organization

“Government must strengthen all the institutions, especially the judiciary and all the anti-graft agencies, to guarantee good governance in the country. We should discourage the monetisation of our political activities by allowing private candidates to vie for political offices, without spending billions of naira or this do or die approach which makes the winner to want to recoup his investment at the expense of the common man and denying an average man the benefit of good governance

Moruff Balogun, Former Vice Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Ijebu Ode branch

“The Price Control Act, LFN, 2010 has given the government the power to control the prices of essential commodities. So, I urge the government to urgently set up a mechanism to enforce the provisions of the said Act.

The government should urgently ensure that food items are available at affordable prices. The federal government should identify the real farmers and empower them with necessary tools and equipment for mechanized farming”.

Professor Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, Executive Director, The Osun Masterminds

The country needs to embrace fiscal federalism or revert to regionalism. The present situation encourages corruption to thrive. Many of the items on the federal government list ought to ordinarily be handled by the third tier of government, the local government.

At the local level, people would ensure accountability and ask questions from those in authority as they are actually very close to them.

Niyi Ajibulu, Ekiti Council of Elders

President Bola Tinubu must work on bringing down the prices of food, petroleum and other commodities. He must also cut the cost of governance so that the funds can be channeled towards the development of the country. We don’t need any protest to do what we think is right but sometimes we get carried away by facts and figures, external influences.

But the important thing is that everybody is aware that things are very tough in this country.

The best thing is for the government to consider all ways of bringing down the prices of commodities so that things will be easier for ordinary Nigerians.

The common man just wants to know things are cheaper, electricity is good and his children can have access to education and healthcare. The palliatives can not work for now, it won’t get to the real needy. We still don’t have the facilities to get it across to those who are really in need, the best thing is for the government to make sure that prices are stabilized.

Protesters are making valid points that the cost of governance should be reduced. The government should also look into adopting a unicameral legislature which should be part-time, it’s an effective way of reducing the cost of governance”.

Mr Bosah Chinedu, National Publicity Secretary, Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights

”Since President Tinubu announced the withdrawal of fuel subsidy, increased electricity tariffs, floated the naira and hiked school fees, Nigerians have been going through hardship throwing many Nigerians into deeper poverty and misery.

The ideal expectation from a listening and sensitive president is to reverse all the anti-people reform policies.

CDWR therefore demands the reversal of all anti-people policies including the reversal of petroleum prices to pre-May 2023 level; reversal of electricity tariff to pre-May 2023 rate; an end to the floating and devaluation of the Naira; an end to all neo-liberal and anti-people policies such as privatisation and deregulation of the power and oil & gas sectors; free and quality education and healthcare as well as respect for democratic rights.

Sir Roland Owie, Former Senate Chief Whip

“President Bola Tinubu must tell Nigerians the true state of the country’s economy as at the time he took over on May 29, 2023. Unfortunately, we have found ourselves in this situation, rioting or protesting is not the solution.

President Tinubu’s broadcast during the protest was a disappointment, I am not sure he was the one who wrote that speech and read it to the people because it had no meaning at all, it was total disrespect to Nigerians.

It is obvious that some people do not want Dangote refinery to work, President Tinubu should intervene and make sure that the refinery does not die because there are so many people who want the pains on Nigerians to continue because they are benefitting from our refineries not working so that we can keep importing petroleum products.”

Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio, sociocultural organisation of the Ibibio people

The socio-cultural organisation of the Ibibio people, Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio, among other things, also urged the Federal government to drastically reduce the over- bloated Federal Executive Council (FEC).

This formed part of the resolutions reached during Mboho’s 54th General Assembly, on August 3, presided over by its 11th International President, Akparawa James Edet. The organization in a communique issued at the end of its meeting called on “the Federal government to take proactive steps towards reducing the untold burden, pains and hardship confronting the Nigerian masses.

The Federal government should consider scrapping the present Bicameral legislative system in favour of the Unicameral structure, as well as fully implement the Orasanye report on the realignment of Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the country.

Mr Peluola Adewale,Organising Secretary, Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM)

“Nigerians have made a bold statement that they are no longer prepared to accommodate capitalist policies which have thrown many more people into deep poverty and misery.

Therefore, we reiterate our call on the working masses and labour movement to form and build a mass working people’s party that fights for a socialist program that can end the misery and uncertainty of life under capitalism.”