You thought you ate?
Notable Nigerians criticise President Tinubu over leaked speech
(Coughs coughs) Good morning, Big Brains. We are back… again. We apologise for the break in transmission. We know you missed us and we missed you right back. We’ll spare you the long explanation and let you enjoy your daily dose of smarts.
- Margaret
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Let’s get into today’s edition:
President Tinubu defends administration amid protests, announces ₦570 billion for economic reforms
Former education minister and several others criticise Tinubu’s speech
Kamala to announce running mate soon
The Big Deal
President Tinubu defends administration amid protests, announces ₦570 billion for economic reforms
Say what you want about President Tinubu but you can’t deny that he believes in himself and doesn’t need the validation of the 200m+ citizens of his country. Even though the president believes that his opps organised the nationwide protests, he has still shared some updates on the work he and his team have been doing to meet the demands of the protesters.
According to him, ₦570 billion has been disbursed to all 36 states to “expand livelihood support”. He also added that his administration has achieved some impressive results that have benefited the economy – like the reduction in the country’s debt burden. Nigeria was spending almost all its income to pay back its loans in 2023, but now in 2024, it's spending less, which means it has more money to spend on things like education, healthcare, and infrastructure. Basically, the country has more financial freedom but this still hasn’t improved the life of the average Nigerian.
The Compressed Natural Gas Initiative which he started earlier this year to introduce Nigerians to an improved and more eco-friendly means of transportation is also expected to help the country save over ₦2 trillion monthly, funds that will be invested in healthcare and education.
Why is this a big deal?
Tinubu’s administration is known for publicising achievements that look great on paper but lightens the pockets of the average Nigerian. The real question is – Are Tinubu’s priorities wrong or are Nigerians just not patient enough?
In the last year, the president has maintained his “it gets worse before it gets better” argument but with the “worse” lingering for longer than expected, it's safe to say that Nigerians have been patient enough.
As some X users predicted, the President’s response to everything seems to be rice. In addition to the ₦570 billion, Minister of Agriculture, Senator Abubakar Kyari, added that 50 kilogram (kg) bag of rice for ₦40,000 will soon be made available to Nigerians in certain parts of the country.
Compared to the government reforms that followed the Kenyan protests (suspension of finance bill, slashing of government salaries and changing of cabinet), President Tinubu’s ₦570 billion feels more intangible. So far, he hasn’t commented on fuel subsidies and other reforms that Nigerians are protesting against.
Former education minister and several others criticise Tinubu’s speech
We know Tinubu’s PR lead is likely having the most chaotic morning wherever they are. The president’s speech which was supposed to address protesters and restore peace has been received with criticisms and backlash. It’s bad enough that this speech was leaked hours before the president went live, the quality of the speech itself has been questioned by many Nigerians, including the former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili.
If there was ever a respectful way to say “You thought you ate”, it would be Oby’s response to the speech. “Your speech is quite a monumental missed opportunity to placate citizens with sound answers and outline of convincing evidence-based actions that you and your @NigeriaGov will immediately take to address the priority #BadGovernance concerns.”
And in response to the President reducing the protest to a petty political gotcha moment, she said, “Your speech was sadly again written out of a mindset that is focused on ‘getting back at our enemies’. Imaginary enemies at that! No true leader has the luxury of having ‘enemies’ among their citizens. Not at all. A public leader becomes the leader of ALL with a mind that does not think of any as their enemies.’
Other notable Nigerians like Wole Soyinka have also criticised the president’s speech. But if he gives a fudge, he’s certainly not acting like it.
Kamala to announce running mate soon
We love some good ol’ mystery but the rest of the world is dying to know who Kamala Harris’ running mate will be. While she’s still taking her sweet time to get the cat out of the bag, it has been confirmed that she will be revealing her running mate soon. As soon as she reveals her VP pick, the duo will begin a tour of multiple battleground states across the US.
According to Reuters, while men made fun weekend plans, Kamala spent all weekend screening candidates. There is speculation that Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, 46, or Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, 51, could be her running mate.
Why is it taking so long?
Apparently, Americans have a vetting process for potential VP candidates and it usually takes a month. Kamala has reportedly been intentional about the process as she has an ideal candidate in mind.
The Big Picks
#EndBadGovernanceProtest Takes New Twist In Kano, Protesters Clutch Russian Flag: The #EndBadGovernance protest in Kano State took an unexpected turn yesterday as protesters were seen holding banners featuring the Russian flag.
INEC Registers 177,914 New Voters Ahead Of Edo, Ondo Elections: The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reported that 177,914 new voters have been registered ahead of the upcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.
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