- * CSOs Disagree On Tinubu's Performance As President
By Princess Simon (Bureau Chief North Central, in Minna)
As the ten days nationwide protest against hunger and frustrations starts on a sad note in some parts of Niger state, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the state are sharply divided over whether or not President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has performed well within one year in office to deserve being protested against.
Not less than five persons, all youths, are feared dead while participating in the #EndBadGovernment# hunger protest which turned violent in Suleija town, a commercial hub of the state.
Comrade Akor Christian Oche, Steering committee of the, Obidients Family Thrift and Credit Cooperative Society, Niger state enumerated several sins of the Tinubu led administration to include spending several billions of Naira on the Lagos-Calabar coastal super highway project while most Nigerians are dying of hunger.
Importation of SUVs for government functionaries instead of patronizing made in Nigeria automobiles which has led to job loses due to lack of government patronage thereby encouraging capital freight.
Oche and his group are also not ready to listen to excuses from President Tinubu and his team for daring to declare that the fuel subsidy regime has gone for good causing over 100 percent rise in cost of petroleum products, especially fuel to between N617 to over N1, 000 per litre leading to the skyrocketing cost of goods and services, including food items.
While the President Tinubu led administration claims to champion the course for agricultural revolution, Oche said he wondered how possible that would be when the federal government cannot grant zero interest loans to the tune of N5m to farmers in addition to removing all bottlenecks towards actualizing food security.
On his part, Comrade Mohammed Abdullahi Jabi, Niger state chairman of, Campaign for Democracy (CD), Human Rights Advocacy Civil Society, on his part argued that the Tinubu government is barely one year in office and that it is too short a time to meet all the needs and aspirations of the Nigerian populace.
President Bola Tinubu led government, according to Jabi inherited lots of problems from the past administration which it is trying hard to resolve and at the same time trying to meet the needs of Nigerians.
Though not giving 100 percent clean bill to the Tinubu led All Progressive Congress (APC) administration, Jabi wants Nigerians, protesters in particular to understand that government and governance involved lots of intricacies that must be followed hence the need to give the President a little more time to prove himself.
Jabi said President Tinubu has made appreciable efforts towards clearing debts, including the huge sum connected to the mortgaging of the nation's crude oil export for five years by the Gen. Muhammadu Buhari administration, adding that because of these and many more the group unanimously agreed that they will not join in the hunger protest because it was too short a time to rate performances.
Meanwhile, reports from Suleja indicated that three persons, all youths were shot dead when Police operatives opened fire to disperse protesters who blocked the major roads linking Suleja to Abuja and Suleja to Kaduna link roads, causing traffic logjam and keeping commuters stranded for hours.
While our correspondent could not confirm from the police because the PPRO did not respond to the text message to confirm the exact number of casualties it was learnt that over 15 others reportedly sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Also in Minna, the state capital, security operatives including Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) took over most public facilities to ward off protesters from the Minna city gate where they had planned take off from for the protest.
NIGERIAN NEWSLEADER Newspaper Correspondent who monitored the upheavals, reports that, the combined security force took over public space with their Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) strategically positioned encase of any eventualities.
There was peaceful protest in Bida and few other local government areas, against what happened in Minna whereby group of protesters gather in clusters to vent their anger with anti-government inscriptions against the Tinubu led administration out of fears of arrest by security forces.
Also, a yet to be ascertained number of youths who had gathered for the protest around Brighter schools junction, city gate and near the Abdulsalam garage where they already assembled old tires for a burn fire in the early hours of the day were picked up by team of red barrette soldiers on patrol.
Major markets within Minna metropolis and environs were under lock and keys, government offices closed while most Nigerlites remained indoors apparently to avoid any ugly incidents. NNL.
