President Bola Tinubu has responded to the mounting pressure to address the nation amid the widespread #EndBadGovernance protests, which entered their third day on Saturday. The former Lagos governor, who has been at the epicenter of rallies against economic hardship and soaring living costs, will speak to over 200 million Nigerians on Sunday, August 4, 2024, at 7:00 am, according to a statement by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale.
“Television, radio, and other electronic media outlets are enjoined to plug into the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) for the broadcast,” Ngelale announced.
Since the protests began on Thursday, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), alongside Tinubu’s rivals in the last election, ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, have urged him to address the defiant youths taking to the streets. The demonstrators are voicing their frustration over the faltering economy and the severe hardship it has brought.
In recent months, the prices of food and essential commodities have skyrocketed, as Nigerians grapple with one of the country’s worst inflation rates and economic crises. These issues have been exacerbated by the government’s policies of removing petrol subsidies and unifying forex windows.
“The broadcast will be repeated on the network services of the NTA and the FRCN at 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm on the same day,” Ngelale added.
The #EndBadGovernance protests, driven by social media and planned to last for ten days, entered their third day on Saturday. The determined youths continue to insist that Tinubu meets their demands, which include the restoration of petrol subsidies and the previous forex regime. They are also calling for measures to address food shortages, unemployment, and wasteful government spending. Additional demands include reducing the President’s cabinet and overall cost of governance, immediate reforms of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and a renewed focus on combating corruption among politicians.
The protests have turned violent in several states, including Kano, Borno, Yobe, Kaduna, Jigawa, and Nasarawa, where opportunistic hoodlums have taken advantage of the situation to burn vehicles and loot warehouses and private stores. Police reported seven fatalities during incidents related to the protests but denied that security agents were responsible for any of the deaths.
As of Day 3, police officers have been seen dispersing protesters with tear gas, drawing condemnation from civil society organizations.
