Hunger protests: What Tinubu must do to appease angry Nigerians – Human rights lawyer

Amid the nationwide demonstrations against anti-government policies, human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has stated what President Bola Tinubu must do to appease angry Nigerians that have taken to major cities to protest.

Effiong, who was a guest on Channels Television last night, said the president should heed to the demands of the protesters.

He lamented that the Nigerian authorities have not held anybody accountable for the killings of the #EndSARS protesters in 2020.

“Before we wake up tomorrow, I want to hear President Tinubu announce to Nigerians that he has reduced the number of his ministers to 37,” he said in response to how the protests can be put to an end.

“I want to hear Tinubu announce that the cost of governance, the cost of running the presidency has been cut to at least 50 per cent. I want to hear the National Assembly and the President announce that the running cost of the National Assembly has been reduced by 50 per cent.

“I want to hear Tinubu announce that the cost of fuel has been reduced, that electricity tariff has been reduced.”

The human rights lawyer also asked the president to transmit a bill to the National Assembly to make the electronic transmission of results mandatory, release #EndSARS protesters still in detention, and abolish the Office of the First Lady, among other things.

Angry Nigerians defied warning by the authorities and took to the major cities yesterday for a second day to decry a severe cost of living crisis and bad governance.

According to reports, more than a dozen people were killed when law enforcement forces fired on protesters on Thursday in several northern states including Borno, which was also among those to introduce a day-long curfew as part of efforts to curtail the unrest.

Organisers of the protests, which also took place in the commercial hub of Lagos and the capital Abuja, had called for Nigerians to show their displeasure at soaring food prices and three-decade-high inflation over 10 days of demonstrations.