Hunger Protest: The End Will Not Justify the Means

Hunger Protest: The End Will Not Justify the Means
-The Most Revd. Dr. Sunday Oludare Matilukuro

The Primate of The First African Church Mission, His Eminence, The Most Revd. Dr. Sunday Oludare Matilukuro (JP) has called on the hunger protesters across the nation not to allow themselves to be used as agents of destruction in the country.

The popular religious leader in the nation and beyond expressed grave concern over the rioting and vandalization of public and private property that have taken over what was intended to be a peaceful protest.

He made his feelings about the ugly development known in a chat with newsmen during the Enthronement of the 7th Bishop of The First African Church Mission, Ngwa Central Diocese held at St. Silas Cathedral, Nnanji Obikabia in Isiala Ngwa North local government area of Abia State on Friday August 2, 2024.

According to him, the leaders of the nation warned them to shelve the peaceful protest in order not to allow it to be hijacked by miscreants and other agents of destruction but they refused to listen to all pleas and entreaties.

The Most Revd. Dr. Oludare Matilukuro (JP) condemned the huge loss of lives and wanton destruction of property across the nation arising from the protest and called on the protesters to stop the protest and give the government some time to respond to their demands instead of unleashing mayhem across the nation. Excerpts.

His Eminence, what is your take on the on-going hunger protests across the nation?
The protesters have made their point. And after making their point, which has been heard all over the world they still went ahead to do things that were not necessary and capable of causing anarchy in the nation. And if we allow the protest to degenerate into anarchy there would be no hiding place for both the government and the governed. There would be no peace in the country again. Look at how many lives that have been lost because of the protest. Look at how many states that have declared state of emergency in the nation. They have imposed curfew, movement has been restricted and businesses shut down in those states. I came here all the way from Lagos. If things continue like this, do you think that I will not become an indigene of Abia State? And I will just reside here in Obikabia and I won’t be able to go back to Lagos whereas I have a sermon to deliver in Lagos on Sunday, August 4, 2024. There is a lot of disappointment and frustration in the nation. Our leaders learnt from #EndSARS Protest.The present hunger protest has also shown the government that the people should not be taken for granted anymore. Consequently, the government has hearkened to some of their demands to a large extent. But they expect the government to do magic. There is no magic in governance. It is a process. So they should give the government a timeframe like six months and tell the government what they want them to do within the six months and see if there would be no change or improvement.

What is your advice to the President of the nation?
The President is seeing everything and listening to whatever is being said. Let me just compare President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari. If it were Buhari he would just keep quiet. That is why they called him, ‘Baba Go Slow’ and he even called himself ‘Baba Go Slow ‘ too. But President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is acting as the demands are being made. The government removed fuel subsidy but the protesters are saying that it should be restored. They do not know what fuel subsidy did to the nation. I have been to some neighbouring countries like Cameroon, Benin Republic and others and every one hour you would see petrol tankers going outside the nation to those neighbouring countries with our fuel. They are subsidizing our neighbouring countries as well as our rich men. It is not you and I – the masses that they are subsidizing. The removal of fuel subsidy has thrown more money into state and local government coffers. So the protesters should go to their state governors and tell them to use the money they are receiving for their own benefit. Before they were receiving billions of naira but today they are receiving multi-billions. So they should let it reflect in their various states. That is what I think should happen, not all these protests leading to loss of lives and destruction of property. Everybody is feeling the hardship but I do not support the protest. Make noise and do not be violent. Look at how many people that died in Bornu State. The government warned them that they had information that suicide bombers would infiltrate into their midst. They eventually did and detonated a bomb that left four people dead on the spot and over thirty injured persons were rushed to the hospital. Do you know how many more terrible things that would still happen? So after making their point, they should give the government some time to respond to their demands because the end would not justify the means.