A former spokesman for President Bola Tinubu in the southeast, Denge, Dr. Josef Onoh has responded to Mr Peter Obi saying the president has addressed issues raised by protesters.
On Sunday, the president made a speech following the nationwide protest, but the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Obi, in his reaction to the President’s speech said Tinubu failed to address the critical issues that brought about the protests but focused on past discussions.
However, in response to Obi’s assertions, Onoh said that the President cannot address demands that have already been met. He insisted that Tinubu had previously addressed issues like pay increases and food security, among others, and he asked Obi to visit and confirm his claims.
Onoh claims that the demonstrators’ new demands call for the 1999 constitution to be repealed and replaced with a document created by the people.
According to him: “And I ask, if the constitution is scrapped, what would Nigeria be governed with? These protesters demand is a call for an interim government, and possibly military rule. Once the constitution is suspended, Tinubu ceases to be president because his powers as president are legitimized by the constitution.”
Recalling that the Senate on February 14, 2024, established a 45-member committee to examine and revise Nigeria’s Constitution, Onoh asked the demonstrators to submit their submissions to their respective senators. The committee’s members were drawn from all states, geopolitical zones, and political parties represented in the Senate.
Onoh said in part: “There is nowhere in our constitution that gives President Tinubu or anyone the powers to scrap a part of any arm of government. This demand calls for military rule. The other demand to make legislative work part-time would require a constitutional amendment which I already said they can engage their various Senators that are members of the constitution amendment committee as President Tinubu does not have the constitutional powers to make that amendment by fiat.
“The minimum wage demand has been addressed by the president. When the two major Labour unions, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) came to a compromise pegging the new minimum wage at N70,000. The president’s approval followed wide consultative meetings with governors, the organised private sector, and the labour bureaucrats.
“Tinubu promised to ensure that wages would be reviewed every three years, rather than the once in five-year-old order. Clearly, this demand by the protesters has been addressed by the president. Those who work in the public sector enjoy a lot of allowances, and lucrative training abroad and travelling excluding their basic salary. Some government agencies pay various training allowances to their staff beyond their basic salary. The president cannot be responsible for paying states’ civil servants.
“Revert petrol pump price to N100/litre: This demand is outside reason and even the protesters know it’s not achievable. Because To get oil from the ground, there needs to be exploration (usually seismic studies) which are very expensive, and if it is offshore, even worse because to keep a seismic vessel on the sea which also costs a lot then to get 1 litre of fuel into your car, there are costs: (1) exploration cost, (2) production cost, (3) refining cost, and (4) landing cost. If you put in these costs, it would be suicidal to sell petrol at one hundred naira. The current administration is already working on fixing all the country’s refineries and to rejig the power sector as part of measures to recover and turn around the nation’s ailing economy.
“Finally, it’s clear President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had addressed the protesters’ demands even before they were made. I urge all protesters to give way to dialogue, President Tinubu isn’t our problem, rather we are our own problem because we have failed to ask the right questions. If your Excellency doubts my submission, please go and verify!
“And to Mr President, you are our President, listen to the people, deep in our hearts we know you are doing your best but we need you to do more. Your nation needs you and it’s the most important time in our history to renew hope. Your cabinet is heavily compromised, don’t wait till the agitations of the masses force you to reshuffle your cabinet, the time is now.”
