Credit – People’s Daily
-Harps on better alternative policies instead of protests
By Folorunso Alagbede
Abuja: Against the backdrop of the proposed nationwide protests by youths and groups over the state of the nation slated for August 1 with viral hashtags and promotional flyers on social media, the flag bearer of the Social Democratic Party SDP in the 2023 presidential election , Prince Adewole Adebayo, yesterday, accused the Bola Ahmed Tinubu led Federal Government of implementing the International Monetary Fund, IMF and the World Bank policies on Nigerian economy, the same economic policies under Goodluck Jonathan, he,Tinubu, Buhari and others protested against.
This is even as Prince Adebayo expressed his reservations on the proposed protests, saying that it is better to detect empty headed IMF drones to prevent them getting “elected” than try to oust them with riots.
The SDP presidential flag bearer, through X handle,@Pres_Adebayo, said the protests are similar to the sheer political gimmicks of Buhari, Tinubu, etc, protesting against Jonathan for the same policies that they are now pursuing even with less humanity.
According to him, “I opposed the Buhari-Tinubu farce that time, and I oppose the same thing now.
“As Buhari and Tinubu and others were opposing Jonathan in 2014, they too were lobbying the same IMF, World Bank etc for political support based on the same policies Jonathan was already implementating against his own wish, just to please the same IMF Go ahead. “As SDP presidential candidate, its a common knowledge that i opposed subsidy removal, floating of the Naira and many of the policies adopted by Tinubu, Atiku and Obi.
“Instead, I called for the full implementation of chapter 2 of the Constitution fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy”, he said
Adebayo explained that his reservation about the protests, was hinged on the fact that elections have consequences and the winner must use his mandate, adding, “if we must avoid chaos, protests have no ideological basis, for the protest sponsors follow the same neolibéral policies and you must vote wisely next time”.
African youths, he advised, must particularly prioritize ideological politics and listen to what politicians say, have said; do and have done instead of fanning up after them as celebrities.
For Adebayo, ” a protest is already a protest if you voice out disagreement in any lawful forum or media. Once you organise a mass protest to challenge pure policy measures and their natural fallouts, you are doing politics, and the other side can originate counter protests.
READ MORE SAS’s defection is a blessing to APC
“In the case of Nigeria and Kenya, you won’t achieve anything substantial because the major political forces on both sides of the protests agree on neolibéral economic policies whose inevitable consequences are what they are protesting against.
“It is more sustainable to organise alternative policies to use to bring other ideological politics into power and change bad policies of the Neolibéral economic policies whose inevitable consequences are what they are protesting against”, he stated
Rather than go on rampage in protest, Adebayo suggested voicing out alternative policies with better outcomes than IMF inspired neolibéral experiments, organising the voters to vote in their socio-economic best interests, avoiding chaos by foreign and domestic enemies of Nigeria and debunking APC government’s lies.
