5 key points from Tinubu’s address to #EndBadGovernance protesters
President Bola Tinubu addressed the nation on Sunday, August 4, 2024, in response to the #EndBadGovernance protests across Nigeria. The protests, which began on Thursday, August 1, are driven by citizens’ frustrations over economic hardship.
Tragically, at least 17 people have reportedly been killed, with many arrested. Yesterday, images and videos of protesters in Abuja being dispersed with tear gas went viral while protesters in Kano chanted for an end to bad governance in Nigeria while waving the Russian flag.
Here are the major points from President Bola Tinubu’s address:
Calls for Peace and Suspension of Protests:
The President expressed sorrow over the loss of lives during the protests and called for an end to violence. “I commiserate with the families and relations of those who have died in the protests. We must stop further bloodshed, violence, and destruction,” he said.
President Tinubu further urged protesters to suspend further demonstrations and engage in dialogue. “I hereby enjoin protesters and the organizers to suspend any further protest and create room for dialogue,” he said.
Defence of the recent Economic Reforms
The President defended his decision to remove fuel subsidies and reform the foreign exchange system, stating these actions were necessary to “reverse the decades of economic mismanagement.”
“I took the painful yet necessary decision to remove fuel subsidies and abolish multiple foreign exchange systems which had constituted a noose around the economic jugular of our Nation and impeded our economic development and progress,” he said.
Highlighting Economic progress
Tinubu highlighted economic progress, stating, “Aggregate government revenues have more than doubled, hitting over N9.1 trillion in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023.”
“This has given us more financial freedom and the room to spend more money on you, our citizens, to fund essential social services like education and healthcare. It has also led to our State, and Local Governments receiving the highest allocations ever in our country’s history from the Federation Account,” he said
Launch of more Youth Empowerment Programmes
Tinubu outlined several initiatives for youths, including the student loan scheme, the Digital and Creative Enterprises programme, and various skill development schemes.
To date, 45.6billion Naira has already been processed for payment to students and their respective institutions
I encourage more of our vibrant youth population to take advantage of this opportunity. We established the Consumer Credit Corporation with over N200 billion to help Nigerians to acquire essential products without the need for immediate cash payments, making life easier for millions of households.
Additionally, we have secured $ 620 million under the Digital and Creative Enterprises (IDiCE) – a programme to empower our young people, creating millions of IT and technical jobs that will make them globally competitive. These programmes include the 3Million Technical Talents scheme.
Improved Food Security Measures
Tinubu revealed plans to boost food production, including the removal of tariffs on certain food items and the distribution of farming equipment.
We are providing incentives to farmers to increase food production at affordable prices. I have directed that tariffs and other import duties should be removed on rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, drugs, and other pharmaceutical and medical supplies for the next 6 months, in the first instance, to help drive down the prices.
I have been meeting with our Governors and key Ministers to accelerate food production. We have distributed fertilisers. Our target is to cultivate more than 10 million hectares of land to grow what we eat.
President Tinubu concluded by urging unity and patience. “Let us work together to build a brighter future for ourselves and for generations to come. Let us choose hope over fear, unity over division, and progress over stagnation,” he stated.
