Following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s nation broadcast on Sunday, 4th August, 2024 aimed at pacifying the youth off the the streets, which had been transformed into a canvas of upheaval, painted with the voices and footsteps of the youth demanding an end to bad governance, Barr Domkur Selven Zingman and Mr Dan Dajen have made passionate appeals to the youth and President Tinubu, respectively.
For five days now and still counting, relentless Nigerian youth have been protesting against bad governance under the hashtag #ENDBADGOVERNANCE. According to the youth the inexplicable level of hardship been faced in the country is as a result of bad governance and harsh economic policies of President Tinubu. They specifically pointed at the removal of petrol subsidy removal at the dawn of the administration and naira devaluation as reasons for the near inhuman living conditions Nigerians are forced to accept
Speaking as Guests on Pointbank News Blog Interactive Session, a widely acclaimed source for incisive political dialogue, on Sunday, 4th August, 2024, the two notable figures departed from their expected silence and stepped into the public eye to guide the country through the storm.
Barr Zingman, a private legal practitioner and National Legal Adviser of Ngwang Ishi O’Taro (NIO) the socioeconomic umbrella body of Tarok nation beseeched the youth to suspend their protests. “It is a time for healing, for discourse, for negotiation,” he urged.
“Protest in itself is another way through which subjects can ventilate their grievances against the way and manner they are being governed. Protest becomes unnecessary when it’s not timely and the modus operandi is not well spelt out.”
Speaking earlier, Barr Zingman admitted that “to an extent, yes there is bad governance. But the bad governance we are facing today is cumulative and cannot be attributed to just one administration”.
“This hardship is not just about the youth, is about the nation.
“NLC and TUC were having a tough time with the government. The minimum wage issue seems to be coming into limelight. Let’s it be implemented first and we see how it goes.
“The TUC should not only have negotiated for minimum wage alone but should take into cognizance the issue of price control and unemployment.
“The youth should start from the grassroots. We have councilors, chairmen and more importantly, our national assembly representives. That should be the starting point”.
Meanwhile, Mr. Dan Dajen, an advocate for systemic change scrutinised President Tinubu’s speech with microscopic diligence and directed his attention towards President Tinubu, demanding decisive action. Dajen implored with sound reasoning, “He must make a category speech that echoes the concerns of these citizens and outlines a plan for change”
“I am of the view that the address of Mr. President failed shot of the citizens’ expectations. It seems the president is not in the know of what Nigerians are passing through and what the agitators are asking for.”
“Food security is the key issue and that can only be addressed when farmers are free to go back to farms. Security ought to have been keyed in his address but to my greatest surprise it wasn’t address as expected.”
“Secondly the President did not tell us how the issues of corruption, cost of governance will be addressed. Why they have to acquire a yatch for Mr President at this point in time that they are asking the citizenry to endure the difficulties. They are not exemplary at all.”
“Thirdly he said Governors have been collecting so much as such we have to begin to ask our governor’s if what we see on ground isn’t commensurate with what he stated.
It’s time for everyone of us to ask questions.”
The two guests’ shared appearance, despite their distinct narratives, served to defuse volatility and lay the groundwork for a constructive dialogue between the state and its citizens.
