President Bola Tinubu’s national address on Sunday received criticism from the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) on Monday. The forum, under the leadership of Prof Ango Abdullahi, expressed disappointment at the President’s failure to address the worsening security issues in the North-West and other northern regions.
Simultaneously, protesters at Alausa in Lagos faced an attack by hoodlums on Monday, amid the ongoing #Endbadgovernance demonstrations across various states, primarily affecting North-West states like Kaduna, Katsina, and Kano.
In a statement released on Monday, NEF’s Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, highlighted the forum’s disappointment with the President’s speech, citing the lack of acknowledgment and concrete plans to address the security challenges in the affected regions.
NEF emphasized the urgent need for sustainable solutions to the prevalent crises, urging President Tinubu to prioritize the security and welfare of the northern population.
Meanwhile, protesters in Lagos persisted with their demonstrations despite the President’s plea for dialogue to address their grievances. Led by Juwon Sanyaolu from the Take It Back Movement and Hassan Taiwo from the Education Rights Campaign, protesters voiced their demands at two locations in Lagos.
The protesters’ calls included the reversal of fuel subsidy removal, opposing increased electricity tariffs, and advocating for grants instead of loans for students, among other issues.
In a related development, protesters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, continued their demonstration with a 10-day circle protest, expressing dissatisfaction with President Tinubu’s broadcast that failed to address their demands.
In Osogbo, Osun State, protesters persisted in demanding free education and criticized the government’s student loan initiative as inadequate, stressing the need for bursaries and unemployment allowances for youth empowerment.