President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would address Nigerian via a live broadcast at 07:00 PM tonight, his Special Adviser on Strategy, Communication and Special Duties, Dele Aleke, stated earlier. The reason for the broadcast was not communicated, but this is coming amid suffering induced by fuel subsidy removal.
WikkiTimes’ reporters walked down the streets of Bauchi and Benue states where citizens spoke about their expectations from the broadcast.
In Bauchi’s Misau town, locals expressed mixed reactions.
Maman Garba, a mother of two told WikkiTimes she was not expecting anything new from the president since it was his speech that got the nation to where it is today.
The niqab-masked mother said her family is trying to adjust to the reality as she and her husband often go to bed on empty stomachs.
“We don’t expect anything from the president because he has already said what he said. He is the one who threw us into the situation we are in now. Presently the prices of food items and everything have risen,” she said. “We didn’t used to have three square meals per day. Sometimes it is once or twice. We have to source for Garri to give the children, while myself and my husband sometimes sacrifice and sleep on empty stomachs.”
According to her, she is in support of the planned nationwide protest to be led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), adding she will encourage her husband to participate as it remains the only language the government understands.
She added: “Honestly, I am in support because if people didn’t come and express their displeasure, the president may not know. I even support my husband to join.
“My fear is that if the country continues like this, there will be hunger and suffering. Hunger is what weakens people and sometimes one has to spend a day or two without eating. Ulcer is now common and we don’t have the money to even treat ourselves.
“My appeal to the president is to come to our aid, ease our sufferings. Our husbands that used to go out and look for something to do and bring food to our tables have no money and work to do. Please, Mr President, look into our situation, we are stabbed by hunger.”
A civil servant who simply identified himself as Muhammed said he augments his monthly salary with fashion design. He hopes the country heals.
“We are expecting good things from him,” he said in anticipation. “We are expecting him to explain to us the situation and hardship we are in and how is he going to reduce all these hardships and sufferings.”
“Almost everyone is suffering. Before I used to buy things at lower prices but now due to the suffering we are buying at higher prices. For example, one measure of local rice is now N1,000 unlike before when it was N500. So you see it is two times than before. If it is N20,000 that can support you now it is N40,000 which is not there.”
“Initially we are engaged in designing shirts but due to this suffering, people are not bringing it to us. They now prefer to sew their clothes without design,” he lamented.
Unlike Maman Graba, Muhammed said he is not in support of the NLC protest. He expressed fear that it may spell doom for the country.
“Actually no, because most of the protests in Nigeria end up in crisis. For example, the #EndSARS which led to loss of many lives and properties,” he recalled. “Even the fuel price increase protest of 2012 led to a crisis in Kano where hoodlums took advantage and began to loot. For me, protest is not the solution and it will not take us anywhere.”
“My take is that the government need to address this issue without any delay. It shouldn’t allow people to protest because there are many instances where protests led to bloodshed for example Sudan and Libya that up to today they are suffering,” Muhammed added.
Inuwa Abdullahi Adamu, a Bauchi-based civil servant with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), shares similar views with Muhammed. He said he is not in support of the protest.
He, however, advised the government to use savings from subsidy removal to fund the country’s strained health sector.
Nura Yusuf Isah, a father of four who recently managed to finish his first degree amidst suffering, said he expects from the presidential to bring succour to citizens tonight.
According to him, as a person who is only looking for what to put on his family’s table, joining any protest is not an option, rather he will channel that energy to look for what to do to earn money.
He, however, said he is only looking for an opportunity to move out of the country to anywhere he can find life easy.
His words: “As a Nigerian, I expect a lot. Since we have a lot on him. I expect him to come out and say nice things to Nigerians to calm them down and give them good news.
“Wallahi, we are suffering to the extent level where always our thinking is what to eat and how to survive. It has been long since I had three square meals per day. But for now, sometimes it is 1.0.1, sometimes 0.1.1, sometimes even 0, 0, 1.”
Nura does not find it easy to appease his starving family. “Sometimes words can not make somebody’s anger just go like that. Sometimes we used to go to bush cut some leaves and come to prepare it no matter how little just for the kids that always cry,” he narrated.
IN BENUE…
Noal Alex, A fashion designer based in Makurdi, THE Benue State capital said: “The removal of fuel subsidy is no strange thing to any citizen of this country that we are in a serious hardship, yes like some of us that run businesses life might not be so tough with us because even with that we can still find one or two ways to survive.”
He further made a case for the unemployed in society, lamenting the challenges they will be passing through at the moment.
“Imagine those that are jobless for the fact that there is no job opportunity in the country, life has become so tough,” he said.
Alex explained that the cost of running his business has gone up. “It has affected our business badly,” he grumbled.
On the expectations from the president’s broadcast tonight, Alex said the removal of fuel subsidy “came as a shock,” adding he is expecting the president “to tell us the modalities he has put in place to make life easy for Nigerians.”,
He said the president should tell Nigerians what he is doing to bring the economy to a stable state.
Alex also advised the federal government to use the earmarked N8,000 palliative for something more important as the money is too small.
“That’s a waste of finances, the money should be used the money to invest in something that will provide job opportunities for Nigerians,” he advised.
According to him, joining NLC in a peaceful demonstration is risky.
“We live in a country where the government does not give a damn about its citizens. Peaceful protest is a risk. For me, I won’t participate,” he told our reporter.
