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The Unfortunate Hijack Of Enugu Endsars Protest And Its Backlash.

Published

5 years ago

November 5, 2020

By Jeff Ejiofor

Enugu State, known for its peace and tranquility was recently plunged into the worst crisis in the history of its creation by hoodlums under the guise of EndSARS protest. The city, which is peaceful and accommodating to people from all walks of life was turned into a theatre of war in a most devastating manner by miscreants who unleashed unprecedented mayhem on the people. It was indeed unfortunate that what started on a sound note as a peaceful protest snowballed into full-scale violence of unimaginable proportion. It is however believed that the dangerous dimension it took was as a result of its hijack by political opportunists who changed the initial objective out of sheer mischief to serve their parochial selfish interest.

EndSARS protest was a noble initiative by the elitist arm of Nigerian youths to seek justice in the entire Nigerian system. It was a collectively articulated agenda by the Nigerian youths to agitate for their rights in a restructured federation where justice and equity prevail. A move to push for a Nigeria where opportunities abound for the youths irrespective of tribe, section, or religion. It was a call for a country where an institutional framework for good governance will be entrenched from the top to the bottom. Hence, the title EndSARS was simply a platform to anchor the agitation considering the glaring enormity of police brutality through the SARS unit of its command. This, largely informed the all-inclusive 23 point demand presented by the organizers.

Obviously and without mincing words, it is clear that the bulk of what the movement sought to achieve rest on the shoulders of the central government which by virtue of the 1999 constitution, is the custodian of Nigeria’s political destiny and future. As a matter of fact, most states, especially the ones in the southern and central parts of the country have never hidden their displeasure over the structural defect of the current Nigerian political system as imposed by the faulty 1999 military constitution. This probably informed the lopsided dimension taken by the EndSARS solidarity protest which was mainly observed in southern and central Nigeria. It, therefore, suffices to say that even the political class in these disadvantaged parts of Nigeria, who are in the system probably because of political expediency, were actually on the same page with the youths in that noble cause.

It’s therefore unfortunate that some unpatriotic political elements in the society saw it as an opportunity to further their selfish political interest by politicizing and localizing it to the detriment of the original aim. This group of fifth columnists saw in it an opportunity to invite the people against their home governments and perceived political enemies in order to demonize them before the masses. They hired and paid some prominent youths to infiltrate the ranks of protesters with a view to polarizing their minds. That was exactly the case with Enugu State when some sponsored popular artists sought to change the direction of the protest to cause disaffection between Ndi Enugu and their government. It was on this premise that they almost ruined and disrupted the well-intended peaceful protest in Enugu in line with the dictates of their paymasters and in justification of the money they collected. Just as the saying that the guilty are afraid, some of them even went as far as alleging threats to their lives.

Ironically, the same Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State who they intended running down, was among the first governors to respond to EndSARS agitation by setting up a commission of inquiry with adequate representation of the youths. He never confronted them but chose the part of peace to find a lasting solution to the problem. This is in addition to making out time to constantly address them throughout the peaceful processions. He was unarguably one of the few governors that adopted that measure irrespective of his tight schedules. On each occasion, he interacted with them and promised to take actions that will address their grievances. For example, when SARS was disbanded by the federal government, Ugwuanyi did not hesitate in visiting their office to ensure compliance. He personally supervised it to make sure nothing is left undone. All these he did as a responsible and responsive leader to reassure the youths that their voice had been heard loud and clear. My question now is; where did he err?

Well, it’s unfortunate that the Lekki Toll Gate shootings in Lagos provided the needed opportunity for them to actualize their evil intention of hijacking the process. Unknown to them, it took a more dangerous dimension as hoodlums turned against the entire political and economic structure, a situation that would have equally consumed them as well. They had thought that instigating hate against the governor by recruiting people to wage campaigns of calumny would exonerate them and increase their popularity.

Apparently, the unruly conduct of their paid agents which embarrassed the governor at the protest ground may have possibly influenced the reaction of the youths against the government and the good people of Enugu State. The level of damage recorded in the Enugu metropolis is an indication of this instigated resentment against the state. We all know how they struggled to malign the government of Enugu State in their bid to incite the masses against the governor. Like I pointed out earlier, some of them even accused the governor of plotting against their lives just to attract public sympathy and cause resentment.

What played out before the protest turned violent could give an insight into the instigated resentment. That also explains the decision of Gov. Ugwuanyi to remain calm and unruffled throughout the provocative conducts of the hoodlums. He refused to be drawn into open confrontation with the arsonists and miscreants in order to avoid possible loss of lives. This singular action of His Excellency unsettled the naysayers who had wanted Enugu to collapse under his watch. Even in the case of flagrant disobedience of the 24 hrs curfew imposed to control the situation, Ugwuanyi still maintained emotional decorum. However, this his calm disposition was simply to avoid clashes between the hoodlums and security agents that would have led to heavy casualties.

Despite all these, people still struggled to accuse him of high-handedness and indifference. High handed for deploying security agents to quell the crisis and indifferent for allowing the hoodlums to operate unhindered. For God’s sake, what can one do to please human beings? Quite unfortunate!

The same Ugwuanyi is unarguably one of the few governors in Nigeria today that shows enormous concern and interest in the youths. His policies and actions are geared towards youth empowerment and human capital development. He pays so much attention to education and has transformed the sector unimaginably in Enugu State. A peep into the giant strides recorded so far shows that he has turned around the condition of both primary and secondary education in the state with modern facilities of an impeccable standard. It takes a careful appraisal for people to understand the depth of his efforts towards repositioning the state tertiary education and the sector in general.

In the area of the welfare of the youths, Ugwuanyi has outperformed all previous governors of Enugu State put together. He has many schemes tailored to the promotion of entrepreneurship development and youth empowerment. He has been organizing many programs that focus on skill acquisition training and trader empowerment scheme including the ongoing partnership with World Bank where 2000 youths of Enugu State will get a grant of 2m naira each to carry out any business of their choice. He also instituted many scholarship schemes for both domestic and foreign studies, among which were the recent sending of over 30 students of Enugu State extraction to India for ICT training. Award of scholarship to over 500 indigent students of Enugu State Polytechnic, Iwollo was one of such magnanimous gestures. It will also interest the youths to know that Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s elevation of Enugu workers’ salary is to their benefit as such will empower their parents and guardians to send them to school with ease, unlike in the past when they were the least paid in Nigeria.

Furthermore, he opened up rural roads to connect agrarian communities as another avenue of encouraging youths’ participation in agriculture and this will in turn reposition them economically. Honestly, only a few governors in this country invest in the youths as Ugwuanyi is doing even before the EndSARS uprising. So, I do not in all honesty see the youths of Enugu rising against him for any reason and that was why the plot by political jobbers to sustain their disaffection failed. The outpour of youths to the streets of Enugu to carry out general clean up after the crisis was convincing evidence of their love for Ugwuanyi.

Finally, may I draw the attention of the public to the current efforts being made by the governor to fully restore normalcy and get Enugu State back on track again? He has directed the relevant agencies to identify all critical infrastructure damaged during the crisis and fix them immediately. In keeping with his philosophy of welfarism, he has also constituted a judicial panel of inquiry to evaluate all private property affected by the violent protest including lives lost for adequate compensation by the government. He is obviously one of the few governors that have taken such steps and should be commended rather than vilified. There is nowhere youths will hold him accountable that he has not displayed sufficient interest to handle. The truth is that he lives above board irrespective of a politically orchestrated campaign of calumny by detractors with their eyes on 2023. Indeed I agree that politics is a dirty game if a person with this heart of gold can still be hunted this way. For want of space, I will not dabble into the Enugu palliative hoax and it’s attended false accusations by this same group of seeming outlaws. Full details of what transpired will soon be published for the public to judge. In conclusion, I appeal to agents of destabilization to know that Enugu belongs to all of us, and must be guarded jealously. The uninformed youths who think public assets belong to the governor should be made to understand that it’s not true. The properties belong to all of us and we have a collective duty to protect them.

I rest my case.

Enugu remains in the hands of God!

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Presidency Refutes Afenifere’s Deceitful Statement on President Bola Tinubu’s Midterm:

Published

3 days ago

June 5, 2025

The Gleamer

Chief Sunday Dare

The statement from a factional Afenifere group raises serious concerns about a penchant and deliberate attempt to find faults and trade in deceit instead of objectivity. The group has found it challenging to accept that under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s comeback story is firmly underway.

The rebellious Afenifere claims that President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s performance over the past two years has witnessed a regression in human development, economic mismanagement, and democratic backsliding.

This is a jaundiced view, echoing the view of opposition politicians, one of whom the group supported in the 2023 election.

A balanced assessment based on available data reveals a more objective and progressive picture, with significant achievements amid the challenges expected from a country like Nigeria with decades-old problems.

Beyond its confounding conclusions based on prejudice, the statement raises the following issues. With the ensuing point-by-point clarification, it will become clear that the group’s position is neither grounded in facts nor logic.

Economic Reforms and Their Impact

The factional Afenifere’s claim that Tinubu’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira, have led to “unmitigated sufferings” and “economic deforms” seeks to draw attention to some of the challenges but overlooks the macroeconomic gains. The removal of the fuel subsidy, announced on May 29, 2023, saved the government over $10 billion in 2023 alone, reducing fiscal strain and redirecting funds to other sectors. Unifying the foreign exchange market and the naira’s floatation aimed to address distortions in the currency market, boosted foreign reserves to $38.1 billion by 2024 and achieved a trade surplus of N18.86 trillion for the country.

Under the Tinubu administration, Nigeria’s annual inflation rate fell to 23.71% in April 2025 from 24.23% in the prior month. Food inflation, the most significant component of the inflation basket, remained elevated but moderated to 21.26% from 21.79%

While these figures indicate stabilisation, the immediate impact on ordinary Nigerians is not lost. The government’s cash transfer programme, which provides funds to the poorest households and benefits over 5.7 million households, is a credible outreach.

However, dismissing the twin policies as “unforced errors” ignores the unsustainable nature of the previous subsidy regime and multiple exchange rate systems, which were draining public finances. A more balanced critique would acknowledge the necessity of reform while emphasising the need for better-targeted social safety nets.

As of today, the Tinubu administration has recorded over 900,000 beneficiaries of the Presidential Loan and Grant Scheme, over 600,000 beneficiaries of the Students’ Loan Scheme, NELFUND, N70,000 minimum wage, NYSC monthly stipend increase from N33,000 to N77,000, Free CNG kits distributed to thousands of commercial drivers across Nigeria with CNG buses rolled out in partnership with state governments, leading to a significant drop in transport costs. The administration also recorded over $10 Billion FX debt cleared, Federal account allocation to states growing by 60%, enabling more local development projects, N50 billion released to end the perennial ASUU strikes, and over 1,000 PHCs revitalised nationwide with an additional 5,500 undergoing upgrades.

The administration also disbursed N75 Billion in palliative funds to states and LGs for food distribution and cash transfers, over 150,000 youths are being trained in software development, tech support and data analysis under the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) project, over 20,000 affordable housing units under construction under the renewed Hope cities program launched across Nigeria, N200 Billion in Loans to farmers and agro-processors. Other gains: over two million Nigerians are now connected to new digital infrastructure and community broadband hubs and public WiFi projects, 3.84% GDP growth in Q4 2024 (highest in 3 years), over $50 Billion in new FDI Commitments, Net Foreign Exchange Reserves up from $3.99 Billion (2023) to $23.11 Billion (2024), over $8 Billion in new oil and gas investments unlocked, and over $800 million realised in processing investments in solid minerals in 2024 and inflation as at April was down to 23.17%.

It is now pertinent to inquire from opposition leaders about alternative strategies they would propose in contrast to this administration’s extensive list of significant achievements currently benefiting Nigerians in real-time.

Cost of Governance and the Oronsaye Report

The assertion that the Tinubu administration has failed to implement the Oronsaye Report and instead increased governance costs is inaccurate. The Oronsaye Report, which recommends the merger or scrapping of government agencies to reduce expenditure, has not been fully implemented and has drawn criticisms; it must be noted, however, that the administration has made some efforts to improve fiscal discipline. The fiscal deficit was reduced from 5.4% of GDP in 2023 to 3.0% in 2024, and the debt service-to-revenue ratio dropped from nearly 100% in 2022 to under 40% by 2024. The government also recorded over N6 trillion in revenue in Q1 2025, partly due to removing Ways & Means financing and fuel subsidies. These steps demonstrate fiscal prudence and will eventually translate into immediate, tangible relief for citizens. The administration is working earnestly to address these optics and prioritise cost-cutting measures, including implementing the Oronsaye Report, to restore public trust.

Allegations of Prebendalism and Corruption

Afenifere’s claim that the administration favours “the privileged and connected” through corrupt palliative distribution and mega-project allocations is questionable. Reports of palliatives being mismanaged or distributed through unverified channels have no doubt surfaced, raising concerns about transparency.

The administration has taken steps against corruption, such as suspending Humanitarian Affairs Minister Betta Edu in January 2024 over alleged fund diversion, signalling some commitment to accountability. Critics may argue that more systemic action is needed, but dismissing all the efforts as propaganda overlooks these initial steps.

Without abusing Presidential powers, the administration is working on expediting action on all pending investigations and prosecution of corrupt practices. At the same time, critical agencies are collating credible evidence on ongoing corruption litigations. It must, however, be noted that in 2024, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured a record-breaking 4,111 convictions, marking its most successful year since its inception. They recovered over N364 billion and significant amounts in foreign currencies, including $214.5 Million, $54,318.64, and 31,265 Euros.

The EFCC achieved its single most significant asset recovery in 2025, with the final forfeiture of an Abuja estate measuring 150,500 square meters and containing 725 units of duplexes and other apartments. The EFCC concluded the final forfeiture and handed the estate to the Ministry of Housing in May 2025.

Democratic Concerns and Centralisation

Afenifere’s accusation that the Tinubu administration is pursuing a “one-party state totalitarianism” and undermining democratic institutions is unsupported and lacks merit. The claim of neutralising the legislature and judiciary is also a false alarm.

The public should note that the Supreme Court has upheld opposition victories in states like Kano, Plateau, and Abia, suggesting judicial independence. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has faced criticism for allegedly appointing individuals said to be ruling party affiliates, but no evidence confirms these appointees are card-carrying APC members.

The allegation that the Tinubu government cracks down on peaceful protesters is primarily unfounded. It is a regurgitated rhetoric deployed under previous administrations as a reflection of broader challenges in Nigeria’s democratic culture.

The issue of the State Police is more complex than the oversimplified approach of the factional Afenifere’s statement. Every administration policy is subject to security impact assessment before implementation, and there is a difference between the State Police being widely advocated and a Police State that critics may blame the Federal Government for if implemented without caution.

Security and Social Welfare

Contrary to the impression created, the administration’s security record is impressive. Over 13,500 terrorists, bandits, and insurgents have been neutralised and 7,000 arrested in the past year, though there is still some news of abductions and violent attacks. The administration’s proactive response to security-related matters has paved the way for more farmers to return to their farms, impacting food production and supply.

The administration also embarked on agricultural initiatives, including tractor procurement, fertiliser distribution, and increased mechanisation.

The government has also not relented on its Regional Development drive as the administration succeeded in establishing Development Commissions across 6 Geopolitical zones (South West, North West, North Central. North East, South East and the Niger Delta) to empower communities and accelerate developments.

Political Climate and 2027 Elections
The claims of government-sponsored conflicts within opposition parties lack concrete evidence and should be ignored.

Economic reforms are undoubtedly laying the foundation for long-term stability, with GDP growth at 4.6% in Q4 2024 and a Fitch B credit rating upgrade as evidence. Moody’s Investors Service’s latest upgrade of Nigeria’s rating from Caa1 to B3, with a Stable Outlook, indicates that the Tinubu administration is on the right path.

The government is not oblivious to some discontent and difficult times among Nigerians. There is an urgency to deliver more tangible results, which is guaranteed given the impressive performance of the administration in just two years.

Afenifere’s statement saw the cup as half empty. On the contrary, it’s half full. Under President Tinubu’s administration, some of Nigeria’s hydra-headed problems are being tackled headlong.

The administration has achieved fiscal improvements, such as reduced deficits and increased revenues, which will eventually translate into meaningful microeconomic relief for most Nigerians in the short term, even as the government moves to address these issues with greater empathy and transparency.

The administration’s demonstrable priorities are securing the nation, fixing the economy, and improving human capital development.

Responsible citizens and political leaders must work collaboratively with the administration to address the challenges and counter disinformation, as highlighted in the admonition against fake news and deceptive AI videos.

Under President Tinubu’s leadership, Nigeria is turning the corner. From stabilising the naira and curbing inflation to reducing debt burdens and

expanding access to education and health, the administration delivers bold reforms with actual results. With improved security, regional inclusion, anti-corruption measures, and institutional rebuilding, Nigeria’s comeback story is not yet complete — but it is firmly underway.

– Sunday Dare is the Special Adviser to Mr. President on Media and Public Communications.

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