Day 4 of nationwide protest: Defiant President Tinubu technically dares protestors
By Dailytab24
What Happened
After three days of protest, President Bola Amed Tinubu finally decided to address the protestors. The decision to address protestors came after pressure from different quarters. Those compelling the President to speak to the protestors believed that his address would likely bring about the end of an elusive calm in the country since his policies and actions caused significant hunger and economic hardship.
Bob, a protestor who spoke with Dailytab24, detailed his feelings right from day one to the fourth day of the protest. He was part of the protestors in Lagos and has not missed a day of the protest. He declined to publish his full identity on the ground that tribal sentiment could lead to attack on his person. He desperately wants a change in the country and will lay down his life to secure a better future for his children and family.
He voted for President Bola Amed Tinubu and has been protesting only to make sure the President understands he is on the wrong path. Bob wants policy change and approach to the overhaul of the country’s economy with soft decisions. He believes that the president is doing the right thing, but that he is doing it the wrong way.
“The president can not wake up and decide that he would remove fuel subsidy, float the Naira, and change everything at once. He ought to have approached the matter calmly, one after another with alternatives and palliatives, because if you watch , the people are suffering, and there is significant economic hardship in the country. You can not convince someone that his illness will be cured while you are administering drugs and the illness is deteriorating. For Christ sake, the patient will like to check elsewhere for attention and care” Bob narrated
He knew he was taking a risk throughout his time on the streets of Lagos, protesting for a change. The police have shot directly at his companions, and he has seen arrest of his comrades during the past four days of the protest. He said he was not moved by the predicaments of others, believing that those that would die would die, even if they were at home sleeping.
He has a mindset that is reminiscent of a soldier, and he is ready to pay the ultimate price for the betterment of the country. He is a one Nigerianist, desperate to see the country become the best in entire Africa. He was born in Lagos – a proud Lagosian, but believes even the moderate Yorubas are not saved, as thugs target those protesting against the administration.
The News
When he heard that the President would finally address the protestors, he was relieved and thought that the President would touch the important questions raised by the protestors. Deep down, he wants the protest to end. So the president announcing that he would address the protestors was an opportunity to bring the protest to an end.
At the end of the protest on Saturday, he went home with a smile and bought two litres of fuel. For more than two months, he had never bothered to buy fuel. He prefers going on to a Bet Niaja shop opposite his house to charge his phone. But on Saturday evening, he managed to use his last dime to buy fuel to enable him to listen to the live broadcast of the president.
The morning of the address, being Sunday, he shunned church service. Throughout the night, he did not sleep. He was awake and troubled, dreaming and imagining what the President would say. He had hoped the coming Monday, he would buy fuel at a lower price compared to the 1200 Naira, the filling station he walked in sold a litre.
He did not eat nor brush his teeth because his happiness is anchored on the outcome of the speech of the President. There was anticipation of finally settling down. The next day, he would not have to go out and protest again. His generator was already on by 6 a.m. He turned on his TV and watched other programs while he waited for the President’s address.
7 a.m., and the President was on, but as he listened to the President, he was full of expectation, waiting words after words to hear the President’s reaction to the protest. He didn’t want to give up after some minutes. He still believed that the last sentence might be where the president announced his policy change that would end the protest and bring out economic relief.
Address Failed
Unfortunately, the address ended, and Bob found out that the matter just got worse. His angered intensified, and he felt he had wasted the little money he had on fuel. He would have used the little money he had for breakfast to energize him for the fifth day of the protest.
He concluded after the speech that the country is gone and there is no hope left for the common man. He saw more of a dictator telling the people that he would continue to do what he was doing. He is not bothered or worried about the protest or the killings. He is not going to listen, and most notably, he will do what pleases him.
The President failed to address the concerns of the protestors nor gave them any hope of turning the situation of the country around. The president was more of a stubborn man who vowed to continue on his path irrespective of what anyone thinks or sees.
He technically dared the protestors to do their worst, that he won’t change anything. He technically mocked the protestors and announced his address to joke with the people.
Reaction
Many people have reacted to his address and disclosed they were disappointed, but to Bob, he is confused and downtrodden. He doesn’t know what to do yet. He doesn’t know where to go from here. He is now trapped between going and giving up. should he continue to protest or go back home and admit that he is dealing with a cruel and beastly leader?
Conclusion
There is a call for the protest to be intensified, and there is anger in the country. What this anger will transform into is yet unclear. But in the coming hours and days, the effect of the President’s address will be obvious.
