ACF ex-scribe faults FG’s handling of nationwide protests

• Demonstrations subsist amid Tinubu’s broadcast
• Sani blames northerners for region’s woes

Former General Secretary of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Anthony Sani, has blamed the Federal Government for the poor management of the ongoing protest against hardship and bad governance in the country.

He argued at the weekend that the attitude allowed hoodlums and other criminal elements to loot, destroy properties kill people in parts of the country.

Sani said: “Those of us who advised against the protests hinged our advice on the fact that Mr. President said he was aware of the hardship, which caused the pains and the underlying causes.

“He even asked for more time for him to address the people’s concerns.

“To that extent, one can say the protests were superfluous in so far as drawing the attention of the government to the issues is concerned. This was more so that the leaders of the protests could not locate the courage of their conviction to let Nigerians know them.”

As a result, many patriotic Nigerians viewed their actions with suspicion.”

Sani, who is the immediate past scribe of the forum, explained that “since the protests still took place and became violent in some states, it stands to reason that the approach by government is less than perfect.”

DESPITE the nationwide broadcast yesterday by President Bola Tinubu, the demonstrations continued, as Christian protesters held at the rally site at the Old Airport Roundabout in Jos, Plateau State.

The telecast, according to them, did not address their demands which centred on reduction in the cost of governance, review of petrol pump price and electricity tariff.

According to the demonstrators, the President, though acknowledged the lives lost during the protest, he rehearsed the same old unworkable policies.

In a display of interfaith solidarity, Muslims joined their Christian counterparts at the site to pray.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang has, however, lauded the protesters’ non-violent approach to the prevailing economic hardship in the country.

IN a related development, civil rights activist and former representative of Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani, has told northerners to blame themselves for the under-development of the region.

While also knocking Arewa leaders for allegedly drawing the country backward in the past five decades in a statement on his Facebook account yesterday, Sani maintained that no one, except the inhabitants must be held accountable for the current economic and social woes ravaging the region, having decided to undermine all indices of socio-economic growth and development.

His words: “Most public schools are free; our young ones still don’t want to go to school. Most of us don’t want our spouses to work or use their skills or talents to earn a living or contribute to the family. When we die, we leave them as helpless widows at the mercy of a hostile society.

“Most young ones don’t want to serve as apprentices in workshops or retail outlets because they don’t have the heart and the patience to serve. Most parents in rural areas hand over their children to a religious teacher in the city and the religious teacher depends on the children to beg or steal to feed him and his family.

“For ethnic, religious and sectional reasons, we protected, defended, praised and refused to hold to account all our kinsmen, who led the country at every wasted opportunity for over five decades.”