By Princess Simon (Bureau Chief North Central, in Minna)
Former Military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), has appealed to those behind the planned October 1st, 2024 #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria, to go about it peacefully to avoid causing chaos.
Abdulsalam has equally challenged the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration to listen to the cries of Nigerians who are dying every minute of hunger and frustration.
According to him, a good leader listens and attend to the needs of his subjects instead of use of force or anti-democratic norms to oppress and suppress opposing voices under flimsy excuses.
The former Nigerian leader made the appeal when he granted audience to, Comrade Abdullahi Mohammed Jabi, who led a delegation of Campaign for Democracy and Human Rights team to his hilltop residence to advocate for an end to bad governance, hunger, frustrations and hardships affecting mostly Nigerian masses.
Comrade Jabi who also used the occasion to congratulate the elderstatesman on his Birthday had asked former President Abubakar to prevail on President Tinubu to review administrative policies that have made the country and her citizenry a laughing stock before other global economies.
Jabi who had called for the urgent intervention of former President Abdulsalam to find immediate solution to the hunger in the land said the level of socio-economic hardship in Nigeria is getting out of control.
The delegation which also kicked against distribution of palliatives that hardly reaches target audience instead wants the federal government to listen to the cries of the masses as anything on the contrary will not augur well for the country.
Responding, former President Abubakar argued that, "The hardship in the land is getting out of control. Everybody is crying of this hardship and it seems to be getting out of control".
According to him, "People cannot afford three square meals a day, the hike in fuel, the issue of transportation, the hike in school fees for the children and the lack of funds in everybody's pocket is making life more difficult for everybody".
He however declared, "We will continue to encourage the government to introduce measures to soften the hardship. The three tiers of government; federal, states and local government areas should see how they can cushion this economic hardship".
The retired army General also told his guests that he belongs to a forum that had made recommendations to the federal government on the way out for the economic hardship in the land and that they have done their part by offering quick intervention strategies to end the quagmire.
"I will like to intimate you that in some of the proposals we have given to government on another platform, (he did not mention) that giving palliatives is not the answer to the high cost of food and other items in the country".
He further explained that, "There is need for government to flood and saturate the communities with food, let them (government) buy food and sell it at lesser prices to the people so that people will try to buy some of these food items depending on their pockets or income".
"We have passed these recommendations to the government, and we hope they will implement it".
On the planned, #Endbadgovernance protest slated for the 1st of October the former President appealing to Nigerians to avoid violent protests that could lead to loss of lives said, "For God's sake when you demonstrate do it peacefully".
Recalling what happened in the last demonstration, Abdulsalam said, "We saw unnecessary, uncalled for carnage, thefts and other forms of criminalities. Instead of demonstrating, people went about looting even private houses, and private individuals suffered in the hands of the demonstrators".
While pleading with the organizers of the protest, General Abdulsalami said, "If at all we are going to demonstrate let us know this is why we are demonstrating, and let us not inflict more hardship on fellow Nigerians".
To the present dispensation General Abdulsalami Abubakar said, "Government should listen to the demonstrators. You cannot beat a child and at the same time prevent the child from crying". NNL.
