By Milcah Tanimu

In an interview with Subair Mohammed, Adewole Adebayo, a legal practitioner and former Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, discussed the impact and effectiveness of protests in Nigeria, especially in light of recent demonstrations against economic hardship and bad governance.

*Adebayo’s Perspective on Protests*

Adebayo acknowledges the constitutional right to peaceful protest in a democracy but believes that protests alone are insufficient to address Nigeria’s deep-seated issues. He argues that the current political direction in Nigeria is flawed and that merely protesting without addressing the root causes of these issues is ineffective.

*Challenges and Ineffectiveness of Protests*

Adebayo criticizes the effectiveness of protests, noting that they often fail to produce meaningful change due to systemic issues within the political system. He points out that the consequences of policies like subsidy removal and currency devaluation were evident before they were implemented. Therefore, protests against such policies might be too late to effect change if the underlying political system remains unchanged.

*Demands of Protesters*

He considers the demands made by protesters as a “shopping list of revolutionaries,” suggesting that many of these demands are beyond the control of the president and involve broader systemic changes. He believes that some issues, such as constitutional amendments or economic interventions, require more structured political engagement rather than protests alone.

*Advice to Young Nigerians*

Adebayo’s advice to young Nigerians is to focus on taking over political power rather than just protesting. He suggests that to effect real change, youths need to organize themselves politically and challenge the status quo by building political movements and parties that truly represent their interests.

*Electoral Issues*

Adebayo acknowledges that the problems with governance and electoral outcomes are compounded by poor electoral processes and undemocratic practices. He suggests that the political elite’s failure to address core issues and the poor state of electoral integrity contribute to the dissatisfaction that fuels protests.

*Critique of Government Policies*

Adebayo is critical of the current government’s handling of economic policies, citing failures in currency stabilization, fiscal discipline, and job creation. He argues that the government’s policies are not effectively addressing Nigeria’s economic problems and are instead exacerbating them.

*Role of Political Opponents*

Regarding accusations from some quarters that opposition figures like Peter Obi are behind the protests, Adebayo dismisses these claims as irrelevant. He emphasizes that the real issues are the economic hardships and governance failures affecting Nigerians, regardless of who might be politically motivated behind the scenes.

Adebayo’s overall message is that while protests can highlight issues, they are not a panacea for Nigeria’s systemic problems. He calls for a more strategic approach involving political organization and reform to address the underlying causes of dissatisfaction and to effect real change in governance and policy.