President Bola Tinubu has been tasked by Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Emeritus Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, to initiate dialogue with peaceful protestors.
The president was informed by Onaiyekun that unarmed protestors are not the root of Nigeria’s issues.
It is known that demonstrators decried the misery and suffering in the nation for ten days by taking to the streets under the hashtag #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria.
The irate Nigerians presented President Tinubu with a few demands during the demonstration.
In response, Tinubu stated that he was open to having a conversation with the demonstrators in a national broadcast.
Speaking on the matter yesterday in Abuja, Cardinal Onaiyekan criticized Tinubu’s speech for not meeting with the demonstrators to discuss his demands for communication.
He stated: “Unarmed demonstrators are not the source of our problems. Our president has stated that he is willing to engage in dialogue with all dissatisfied citizens, but he must take the initiative right now.
“Is this how you initiate dialogue? There is a need to radically modify our mindset. The demonstrators were just regular young people who were hungry.
“The only way to demonstrate that you understand our grief is to do actions that alleviate the misery and pain of others. That is exactly why the government exists.
“When we talk about youth nowadays, we are not talking about small boys or girls; we are talking about adults aged 35 and under. The majority have graduated, and most of them have skills.”
