A Pan Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has expressed support for the #EndBadGovt protest scheduled for August, citing widespread hunger and poverty resulting from President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies.
Spokesman Justice Faloye stated that Afenifere had warned Tinubu about the consequences of his policies, including the removal of fuel subsidies, which have plunged millions into poverty.
In an interview on Arise TV on Thursday, Faloye emphasized that the group does not advocate for violence but understands the protesters’ frustrations.
He criticized the government’s policies, saying they are endangering the polity, not the protesters.
He argued that sudden subsidy removal is unacceptable, even in developed countries, and that Tinubu’s approach is superficial, urging him to restructure the economy and move away from a colonial-era economic model.
Faloye’s comments suggest that Afenifere holds Tinubu responsible for the current economic hardship and sees the protest as a justified response to his policies.
We are not agitating but we understand that there’s a protest coming up, and we understand that it’s due to the hunger in the land, and we’re cautioning that we don’t want any violence. We don’t know the leaders but we support the protest,” said the Afenifere spokesman.
He said Afenifere warned Mr Tinubu about the detrimental consequences of the fuel subsidy removal, but he “was so sure that he could go where no other government has gone.”
Afenifere spokesman added, “It is not those who are protesting or who want to protest that’s endangering the polity. It’s the government policies.”
He added, “You cannot remove subsidies like that anywhere, even in England or America or the richest countries in the world. If you remove subsidies in England today, within two weeks, you will find the same protest come out. So, for us to say people should remain hungry, it’s totally unfair.”
Asked if he was not in support of Mr Tinubu and if he thought the president had failed the people, Mr Faloye said, “Definitely, because we believe that he’s being superficial. He should restructure the economy. We have a colonial economy.”
