A-ARTs: The protests 2face should have led

Popular Afro-pop musician, Innocent Idibia, whose stage name is 2face came into the mainstream news, in the last few weeks after announcing to lead nation wide protest. His protests, he said, would be aiming at Buhari-led government’s handling of the nation’s economy.

2face Idibia

As much as it is within the musician’s right to lead protests, he also need to do a self assessment of he could have contributed to prevent the current state of Nigerian economy.

As a popular musician with strong fans base, 2face should have used his popularity to denounce mismanagement of
Nigerian economy by past governments, particularly, the immediate past regime of Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ). Here are some of the protests that 2face should have led:

1. When, under GEJ, between 2011 and 2012, fuel subsidy payment was increased, illegaly, by over three hundred percent without National Assembly’s approval of appropriation.

2. When the Nuhu Ribadu-led committee – under GEJ – confirmed that billions of naira have been paid, illegally in fuel subsidy scam.

3. When over N500 million naira Immigration job recruitment scam was exposed after some applicants lost their lives in the process of trying to secure jobs.

4. When an independent audit firm, PwC – contracted by GEJ government – asked NNPC to refund “at least a minimum of $1.48 billion of missing oil funds” from an alleged missing $20 billion dollar.

5. When the Minster of Finance and Coordinating Minster of the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala – under GEJ regime – told Nigerians in 2015 how FG “borrowed money to pay salaries of civil servants”, an indication of a nation in bankruptcy.

6. When former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) disclosed that he illegitimately shared, among PDP members, $2.1 billion dollars under the instruction of GEJ. The money was actually meant for Federal Government's arms procurement to fight the dreaded sect, Boko Haram.

While no one should shield Buhari-led government from ensuring that the country's economy is put on the right track, the silence of people like Innocent Idibia (a.ka. 2face), when the nation was being raped, economically, under GEJ, makes the musician's February 2017 planned protests grossly immoral, unwanted and suspicious.

“A call for good governance. A call for urgent explanation into the reckless economic downturn nationwide. A call for nationwide protests as we say No to the Executive, No to legislatures, No to judiciary… You have all failed us. We the people are tired. We can no longer continue with all of you. All your excuses and mistakes are not funny. We do not wish to continue with a system and government that is not working but afflicting the people. We the people of this country not living under the privileges of government allowances and remuneration have now accepted to take the bull by the horn to come out and protest this obnoxious and baseless policies and excuses of the government of the day."

From the above texts authored by 2face - a celebrity who fathers seven children from four ilegitimate relationships, it is no doubt that his planned-protests missed the appropriate period anf government(s).

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