The Yoruba Union, known as Ìgbìnmó Májékóbájé Ilé-Yorúbá, has condemned President Bola Tinubu for his perceived failure to address the demands of #EndBadGovernance protesters.
The union accused President Tinubu of being out of touch with the current realities and aspirations of the Nigerian populace.
The group described Tinubu as “a blind man” for ignoring the voices of Nigerians calling for an end to bad governance and criticised him for not reversing the controversial fuel subsidy removal.
In a statement released on Monday by its Country Director, Princess Balogun, and signed by its Convener, Olusola Oluwaseyi Badero, the organisation described Tinubu as a disgrace to the Yoruba race.
Tinubu was criticised for allegedly exploiting the South West region’s political influence to gain power and imposing policies that harm the Yoruba people.
According to Badero, Tinubu’s anti-people policies have devastated local businesses, perpetuated poverty, and denied citizens their rights to peaceful protest and demand policy reforms. They argue that Tinubu’s actions have forced many into beggary, undermining the well-being and dignity of the Yoruba people.
The statement said, “At a time when citizens are demanding change and transparency, the President remains deaf and dumb, as if living in a primitive era.”
It noted that instead Tinubu sent security operatives to use force on the citizens, depriving them of their rights and privileges.
It said, “As an organisation, we have met with all our members in the South West and instructed them to turn out en masse following President Tinubu’s recent nationwide broadcast. We are not backing down.
“We have been monitoring the situation with our lawyers and working with other organisations to secure the release of the protesters who were arrested during the protest.
“Let it be known to the public that we are filing a petition with all embassies in the European Union, the British High Commission, and the Canadian Embassy regarding the violation of human rights and the arbitrary arrest of our people.”
According to Badero, Tinubu is again allegedly planning to use security agencies to suppress protesters who are voicing their concerns about poor governance in the country.
He said, “Over the past few days, more than 30 people have been killed by Nigerian security operatives. Yet, Tinubu has failed to address the issue or call for the arrest of those responsible for the killings.
“President Tinubu also failed to address all the demands made by concerned citizens and instead turned himself into a propagandist, attempting to justify the widespread hunger as a general issue.
“From the look of things, there are covert moves to undermine the will of the over 200 million Nigerians by using force against peaceful protesters. This could lead to a revolution if not handled properly, as Tinubu still has time to address the people’s demands.”
He said the citizens are tired of his anti-people policies and want him to reverse them, but Tinubu claimed to know better than the people affected by his policies.
“Tinubu, who is living large on the people’s sweat, failed to understand that people would rather die in the streets while demanding their rights than die at home from hunger,” he said.
Badero added that if Tinubu claimed to be blind to what is happening in the North, people around him should inform him that the revolution he is trying to avoid has already started, and no one can eradicate an idea that has come to stay.
