The much expected presidential broadcast from Nigeria’s number one citizen; Muhammadu Buhari in respect of killing of innocent protesters at Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos by military personnel on Tuesday and the increasing spate of violence across some states of the federation came at last on Thursday evening but fell short of the expectations of many Nigerians.
Though the President acknowledged the right of the Nigerian youths to protest in accordance with Section 40 of the country’s Constitution and other enactments yet he made it clear that “this right to protest also imposes on the demonstrators the responsibility to respect the rights of other citizens and the necessity to operate within the law.”
Much as the President was right in bringing to the fore, the responsibility of the demonstrators or protesters to operate within the ambit of the law, he deliberately avoided making reference to the reported shooting and killing of peaceful protesters against police brutality by military personnel on Tuesday.
Since the President is the Commander-in-Chief of the nation’s armed forces, Nigerians and the international community had expected him to make some specific presidential statement on the Lekki Toll Gate shooting since the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu had earlier categorically stated that he did not know who authorised the military to come out and attack the protesters since he did have power over the military.
A good number of Nigerians who commented soon after the President’s nationwide broadcast shared similar feelings that the speech was more of a “hollow ritual” as it failed to address the most worrisome issue of arbitrary use of power by the military against defenceless civil protesters.
Among the many anonymous speakers were those who praised Buhari in accepting the five-point demand of the protesters but regretted the inability of the same president to empathize specifically with the families of those killed by the military on Tuesday. They described such a presidential slip as casting Buhari in the mold of insensitive leader who has literally failed to give a “fatherly succour” at the most depressing period.
Buhari’s Speech: More of a Hollow Ritual, as Nigerians React
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