Former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, has urged the Bola Tinubu-led federal government to take decisive steps to address widespread hardship across Nigeria, describing the situation as a national issue rather than a regional or political concern.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Shekarau emphasized the need for the government to respond to citizens’ grievances with effective policies that translate into tangible benefits.
“The last protest of the end of bad governance is a clear message,” Shekarau said, referring to the #EndBadGovernance movement. “The agitation was not a regional thing, was not a state affair, it was a national matter.”
He argued that inflation and hardship are not confined to specific regions but are felt across the country, urging President Bola Tinubu and his administration to revisit their approach to governance. “The Nigerians are saying, please go back to the drawing board and reassess what you are giving us,” he stated.
Shekarau drew on the teachings of late Northern leader Aminu Kano, stressing that any government initiative, no matter how well-intentioned, is futile if it fails to address the basic needs of the people.
“No matter how good your programs are, no matter how good your policies are or your projects, so long as in the end it does not translate into easy access to food, it’s rubbish. This is all we’re saying,” he remarked.
He clarified that his critique is not targeted at the Tinubu administration specifically but at governance as a whole. “If it were about Tinubu, we wouldn’t have written to Tinubu. We wrote to the president… We’ve written to all the governors. We’ve written to all the prominent traditional rulers in Nigeria, prominent Islamic and Christian scholars. So we are not about anybody.”
Shekarau emphasized that the rising discontent reflects a collective cry from Nigerians rather than a sectional or partisan effort. “We are not ganging up, so to say. It’s not a gang-up against any government,” he added.
The former governor’s comments highlight a growing demand for action to address economic challenges and improve the lives of citizens across the country.
