Heed Tinubu’s dialogue call, ECOWAS tells protesters

• Keyamo slams Tinubu’s broadcast critics
• Sani: Violence that trailed protests in North an attempt to overthrow govt

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has urged protesters in Nigeria to heed President Tinubu’s call for dialogue. In a statement, the Commission “deeply regrets reports of violence in the course of the protests and the unfortunate death of some protesters as well as alleged looting and destruction of public and private properties.

“The Commission extends heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and sympathises with the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria over the losses.”

The regional bloc said it recognised the right of citizens to peaceful protests, as guaranteed by the 2001 ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has described citizens criticising President Bola Tinubu over his speech on the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protest as individuals with nefarious intentions.

He said the critics intended to force the President to negotiate power with them.  Keyamo stated this through a short statement he posted on his verified X handle on Tuesday. The statement reads: “Even if Mr President redrafts his wonderful speech one million times over, those with nefarious intentions will continue to pooh-pooh it to justify their continued instigation of mayhem.

“Their real intention is to force the hand of Mr President to negotiate power with them. It is as simple as that. The fall guys are the ignorant, but patriotic compatriots on social media screaming their heads off and the robbers and hoodlums that are rampaging on the streets.”

The minister, however, added, “Behind all these facades is a complex chess game of power with unseen hands.”  Recall that some Nigerians criticised the President and that his address on the nationwide protest did not address the yearnings of the protesters. Prominent among them are Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka; Dele Momodu; a former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili; and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana.

Condemning the violence that has trailed the protests, especially in the North, a former lawmaker, Shehu Sani, yesterday said it was an attempt to overthrow the government.

Sani was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today. He alleged that some days into the protest, money, and some foreign flags were shared among the youths in the northern region.

“A day before the last protest, money was shared with the youths, and Russian flags were also shared. That shows that the whole intent of the protest is not simply about the policies and programmes of the government,” he said.

“There was an attempt to create an atmosphere where there would be an overthrow of the government. When you have this kind of situation, you will see that someone is writing a script for anarchy, lawlessness, and disorder. It is incumbent for someone like us to speak.”