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Former lawmaker and politician Shehu Sani has attributed President Bola Tinubu's violent response to the #Endbadgovernance protests in the northern region.
This statement comes after reports of protests in various northern states, where demonstrators also displayed Russian flags, an act deemed treasonable by experts.
In a series of posts on his X account, Sani expressed that while President Tinubu must be held accountable, the solution lies within the Northern leadership.
"Northern leaders must take lessons from the recent violent uprising in the region. The President must be held to account, but he is not the Problem or the Solution to the Problem," he stated.
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Sani's message to northern leaders
Sani emphasised the need for a comprehensive plan to address the region's deep-rooted issues.
"The Governors, political, Business, religious, traditional leaders and the intellectuals of the region must converge and urgently come out with an implementable master plan to tackle the decades of endemic poverty and destitution, Illiteracy, Chronic underdevelopment, abject neglect, religious extremism and terrorism that has demonised the region and impoverished its people," he added.
Highlighting the inadequacy of force to solve these issues, he remarked, "Guns and tanks can suppress the flame but not extinguish the fire. The North should look at the mirror and not the telescope. We have the cattle to build our wealth; we shouldn't be looking for a scapegoat."
Shortcomings of protest
Sani also raised concerns about the economic impact of the unrest, stating, "Anyone, foreigner or Nigerian, bringing his millions or billions to invest in our region will now have to think more than twice. He will now have to insure himself against Ransom and Riots."
Condemning the violence, Sani suggested ulterior motives behind the protests.
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Speaking on Channels Television's Politics Today, he claimed, "A day before the last protest, money was shared to the youths, and Russian flags were also shared.
"That shows that the whole intent of the protest is not simply about the policies and programmes of the government. There was an attempt to create an atmosphere where there would be an overthrow of the government."