When the Cybersecurity Levy was to be implemented by the Central Bank of Nigeria, there was no street protest. Just social media trends against it. And President Tinubu overruled the CBN and ordered the suspension of the levy.
No matter what you think about Tinubu, at least you must admit that by that act, he demonstrated control over his government and signalled that he feels the pulse of the public in a way that President Ruto of Kenya does not.
What happened in Kenya could have been prevented. Since it was not prevented, it should not be allowed to reoccur unnecessarily. African leaders should now learn a lesson from it. Do not allow things to spiral out of control before you act.
Please do not allow your aides to cage you and give you only news that they have carefully curated and sanitised. Be on social media yourself to keep tabs on what influencers are saying. Watch the morning TV shows personally, especially the ones notorious for being against you and your government. Read the papers and popular columnists firsthand. Listen to grassroots radio stations. In short, don’t isolate yourself from your people. Watch, hear and read what the media is feeding them and what is trending. Then, use that information to be proactive in your policies and pronouncements.
That is what General Buhari did not do. His own minister, Rotimi Amaechi, admitted that “the President does not read”. And we saw a glimpse of that when he signed a document with his name wrongly spelt and then allowed an aide to upload it on social media.
Buhari’s failure to be hands on is why we had #EndSARS. EndSARS did not start on the streets. It started on social media, with influencers, like Segun Awosanya, @segalink, and moved to the streets, where it became leaderless. The creator, who had good intentions, watched his creation become almost a Frankenstein monster. And once a protest becomes leaderless, it is hard to contain it without bloodshed.
Let us not be aloof and say it cannot happen in Nigeria. Look at the types of things Peter Obi has been posting on social media. They are getting increasingly alarming. Working in tandem with Arise TV, this steady dribble of propaganda and misinformation can ignite a Kenya-style protest if left unchecked.
If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that the President should watch two historically volatile states, Kano and Rivers. If anything can ignite future protests in Nigeria, it would be Kano and Rivers.
The crisis of monarchical proportions playing out in Kano can suddenly erupt into street protests. If I were the President, I would call the Governor and the two competition Emirs to Aso Rock and urge them to resolve the crisis judicially rather than politically and for all parties involved (especially Emir Sanusi) to desist from making public statements and addressing large crowds until the issue has been judicially resolved.
Additionally, I would promise that whoever fails to get the Emirate will be compensated by a plum Federal Government position.
As for Rivers, I would just assert myself as President and order my minister to stop being a meddlesome interloper. Rivers is too volatile, and whatever Wike brings to the table is nowhere near enough to take the risks being taken in Rivers.
Let us learn from the Kenyan protests and take proactive action. Because many Nigerians, especially those who are disappointed with the results of the last election, watched the Kenyan protests with glee and are even now scheming to replicate it in Nigeria. God forbid!
