We’ve no foreign sponsors, says #EndBadGovernance protest leader

Organisers of the #EndBadGovernance protests have described as untrue and unfounded accusations by the federal government that they have foreign sponsors.

This is even as the group also denied links with opposition leaders including Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Atiku Abubakar, and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Peter Obi.

Briefing members of the diplomatic corps in Abuja on Wednesday, the Federal Government, through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, had reiterated Nigeria’s stance against foreign interference in the ongoing demonstrations across the country.

But speaking with The Guardian, a leader of the Network of Abuja Left Groups, one of the brains behind the protests, Omole Ibukun, denied that they are being bankrolled by foreign sponsors.

He said the government has the penchant for crying over the rooftop whenever there are protests rather than focus its energy on resolving the myriads of challenges confronting citizens, occasioned by failed economic policies.

On whether they have foreign sponsors, Ibukun said: “None. None at all. But I must not leave it at that. Even if those mobilising for these protests had foreign sponsors, the democratic thing to do is to not throw the baby out with the bath water, but remove the economic realities that such ‘malicious’ foreign sponsors might be exploiting.

“If fuel price goes back to 200 Naira today, and a foreign sponsor pays me to go and mobilise for a protest against Tinubu government, it will be hard for me to gather anyone for such protest. So the practical solution is not to scream ‘foreign sponsor’ anytime we protest, but to remove the poor economic conditions that such foreign sponsors might be exploiting to cause unrest.”

A wave of nationwide protests tagged #EndBadGovernance has swept across major cities, driven by growing discontent over the escalating cost of living with demonstrators demanding change through sustained, grassroots demonstrations.

The Guardian reports that Nigeria is grappling with its most severe economic downturn in decades, resulting in far-reaching difficulties and simmering discontent among its citizens.

The cost of petrol has skyrocketed, increasing by over 300 per cent in just 15 months, while the price of rice, a basic food staple, has surged by more than 100 per cent over the past 12 months.

Ibukun also denied links with the 2023 PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Peter Obi, adding that “during the elections, I campaigned openly against the three main candidates, Atiku, Obi and Tinubu because of their corrupt capitalist political history”.