Tinubu’s aides are his real enemies – Abacha’s CSO, Al-Mustapha

President Bola Tinubu’s aides are his real enemies for tacitly enabling the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protest in Nigeria, a former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late military head of state, Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd) has said.

Reacting to the nationwide protest, the retired military aide lamented that the nationwide broadcast by the President failed to address the demands of the protesters.

Al-Mustapha, one-time presidential candidate of Action Alliance (AA) said the long notice given by the protesters offered enough time for the Presidency to nip the demonstration in the bud.

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“I’m not in support of the protests. I had spoken some three weeks back, issued out a warning, and said never allow the protest to commence,” Al-Mustapha said.

“The good thing is that they (protesters) gave notice. And despite the long notice, nothing happened and it started. It shows that those around the leadership that have allowed that to happen themselves have failed in their duties.

“I can clearly see negligence. They are not in support of the President, talk less of having allowed him to read such a speech,” he said.

Al-Mustapha said that a sincere leadership would never have allowed the crisis to snowball but would have devised means to curtail it even before it erupts.

He said, “So if they (advisers) are pushing the president to be hitting left while their own side is on the right, then it shows those who misdirected him to the left are his enemies and enemies of the system and the country.”

While sympathising with families of protesters and security personnel who lost lives and property to the demonstration, Al-Mustapha appealed to the demonstrators to end the action, stressing that their voices have been heard.

The #EndBadGovernance protest, which enters its seventh day today, has seen thousands of Nigerians trooping into the streets owing to what they described as the rising cost of living and bad governance.

The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) had raised the alarm that the protests could inflict an estimated daily loss of N400 billion if not properly managed.