Port Harcourt, Aug. 4, 2024 – The Ijaw National Congress (JNC) says President Bola Tinubu’s Sunday broadcast on the nationwide protests failed to address demands of protesters.
The congress made the observation on Sunday in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Ezonebi Oyakemeagba,
The congress condemned the President’s address for not adequately responding to these pressing issues of the protesters.
“The president’s speech did not address the demands of Nigerians as expressed through the protesters.
“He didn’t address the issues of cost of governance, corruption, the removal of subsidies on petroleum products, or the increase in electricity tariffs. Nigerians expected concrete statements on how these issues would be tackled, including a timeframe for solutions.”
The Ijaw congress described the current situation in Nigeria as the worst in its history.
“The larger population of Nigerians is going through extreme poverty and hunger.
“The clear message from the protesters is that there is hunger in the country, a direct result of bad policies. Reducing the pump price of petroleum products could alleviate many of the challenges we are facing.”
The group also criticised the distribution of food aid by state governments,
“Imagine various state governments sharing rice and garri to citizens. This can only be experienced during war or natural disasters,” the congress said.
The protesters had demanded for reduction in petrol pump prices, improvement in living standards, reduction in the cost of governance, reduction of electricity tariffs and a check to the growing insecurity in the country, among others.
