President Bola Tinubu became president with the lowest votes scored by a President since the return to Democracy in 1999. Compared to his 8.7 million votes (far below the combined votes of the other candidates) in 2023, Obasanjo in 1999 and 2023 scored 18.7 million and 24.4 million votes respectively. Similarly, lower than Yar’adua’s 24.6 million votes in 2007, Goodluck’s 22.4 million in 2011 and Buhari’s 15.4 million and 15.1 million votes in 2015 and 2019. If the 2023 election was a referendum your guess is as good as mine.
The new power force is on the rise. Pre-2015 they were on twitter and built the momentum for former President Buhari to defeat an incumbent. When their hopes were dashed, some of them left social media and mobilized under the banner of EndSAR. When it ended, most of them remobilized into the Obedient movement showing their voting strength with their candidate without structure coming third. Note it was never about Buhari, EndSAR or Peter Obi, it is an evolving new power force.
With the above realities cited, the president needs to engage differently with the majority of those that voted against him and supporters that lost faith in him. He and his team must recognize that the new power force (structureless) has emerged and should be engaged differently. Empathy and open as well as timely engagement and not open display of authority and power will be key – in pacifying the many Nigerians that care less whether the protest is being sponsored by vested interests, but who just want to express their pain, frustration and anger.
Imagine a situation where Mr. President (Nigeria) allows the protest to go on, he steps out of his fortified fortress of Aso rock, without convoy, walks to meet the protesters, and joins them as a former protester himself, walk a few miles with them singing solidarity songs, then sit on the street (or eagle square) to have an open dialogue with them while actively listening without being defensive (excuses).
In response to their demands, the President then makes/takes instant decision/action on the low hanging demands (fruits) by the protesters, and then makes an open commitment with timelines on issues to be addressed in the medium to long term, and then openly enlighten them on those demands that are not feasible with justifiable reasons.
As well as jointly agree on a viable accountability mechanism that he will personally subject himself to. Likewise, he directs all his Ministers, also encouraging State governors who are equally culpable to participate, in their various States, where similar protests are being held, to do the same; and where protests are not being held to convene an open dialogue.
Therefore, using these avenues to further aggregate the views of Nigerians to inform the resultant response plan to the current hardship with focus on the short, medium and long term measures to be taken. Henceforth, this participatory governance approach should be adopted and expanded in planning, policy and budget formulation, implementation and evaluation.
The approach of talking down on citizens through issuing emotionless grammar laced with subtle threats in press statements, adverts and appearances on media platforms or having meetings with a select few elites to persuade the intending protesters is no longer potent. The current generation of sophisticated and emotion-driven youths, who are in majority, are a whole different ball game.
To connect with them, those in power must not only be heard but seen to come down from their high horses to engage with them using their own language. One lesson the government should learn from the Arab spring, EndSAR and the recent Kenyan protest is that timely and empathy-driven engagements and responsiveness can make a huge difference. As these agitation/protest is the manifestation of the new power force that is gradually bringing to an end the old power force.
For now I will not go out to protest. As I am yet to be convinced that those behind it are truly doing it out of sincerity of purpose. Even though I believe the protest is justified based on the current hardship. More effort must be put in place to avoid those that are undecided, like myself and many others, from joining the protest. Therefore, since it is their fundamental right to protest, I recommend the President engages with them timely and differently as suggested above. A stitch in time saves nine.
Lets engage, ask the right questions and hold the government accountable.
Goje is an active citizen, civil society member and OGP enthusiast