Protest: “They Simply Said They Want to End Bad Governance, Not Your Government” – Archbishop Onaiyekan to Tinubu

In a recent event organized by the Christian Youth for Peace and Development Initiative in Abuja, His Eminence John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Emeritus Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, addressed the motivations behind the #EndBadGovernance protests. According to Cardinal Onaiyekan, the demonstrations were not intended to call for the end of President Bola Tinubu’s administration but rather to demand better governance across Nigeria.

Cardinal Onaiyekan emphasized the desire of Nigerian youths for improved management of the country, stating, “The 10 days of #EndBadGovernance protests saw the young people coming out in large numbers. From my own opinion, they were not coming out to insult anybody. They didn’t say that they were ending Tinubu’s government. They simply said they want to end bad governance. Is there anything wrong with that?”

He noted a collective agreement that governance and management in Nigeria could be improved, highlighting the shared aspiration for progress.

Addressing the issue of patience among the youth, Cardinal Onaiyekan expressed understanding for their urgency, remarking on President Tinubu’s call for patience. “I’m not sure whether he was very patient when he was 30 years old. He wasn’t patient. The young people cannot be patient, but they should not be patient. Because if they are patient, they will just sit down and do nothing,” he stated.