General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) | File Image
Abubakar: The hardship in the land is getting out of control; everybody is crying
By Mohammed Usman
Nigeria’s former Military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), has appealed to those behind the planned October 1, 2024 #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest to go about it peacefully to avoid causing chaos.
“For God’s sake when you demonstrate do it peacefully,” he said.
Recalling what happened in the last demonstration, Abdulsalam warned, “We saw unnecessary, uncalled for carnage, theft and other forms of criminalities.
“Instead of demonstrating, people went about looting even private houses, and private individuals suffered in the hands of the demonstrators.”
Abdulsalam also advised the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration to have a human face and listen to the cries of Nigerians who are dying of hunger and frustrations.
Also read: Court grants bail to #EndBadGovernance protesters
The ex-leader said that a good leader listens and attends to the needs of his subjects instead of use of force or anti-democratic norms to oppress and suppress opposing voices under flimsy excuses.
Abubakar made the appeal when he granted audience to Comrade Abdullahi Mohammed Jabi, who led a delegation of Campaign for Democracy and Human Rights team to his Minna residence to advocate for an end to bad governance, hunger, frustrations and hardship in Nigeria.
Abubakar lamented: “The hardship in the land is getting out of control; everybody is crying.
“People cannot afford daily meals. The hike in fuel, the issue of transportation, the hike in school fees for the children and the lack of funds in everybody’s pocket is making life more difficult for everybody.
“We will continue to encourage the government to introduce measures to soften the hardship. The three tiers of government; federal, states and local government areas should see how they can cushion this economic hardship.”
The retired army General also told his guests that he belongs to a forum that had made recommendations to the federal government on the way out of the economic hardship in the land and that they have done their part by offering quick intervention strategies to end the quagmire.
Jabi had earlier congratulated the elderstatesman on his birthday.
He asked Abubakar to prevail on President Bola Tinubu to review his administrative policies that had made the country and its citizens a laughing stock before other global economies.
Jabi also lamented the level of socio-economic hardship in Nigeria, stressing that it was getting out of control.
The delegation which also kicked against distribution of palliatives that hardly reaches target audience instead wants the federal government to listen to the cries of the masses as anything on the contrary will not augur well for the country.
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