Politics

Nigeria: The Politics of the Hunger Protest and the Wrong Move for the Government’s Attention

Published

2 years ago

August 6, 2024

News Net Global

Nigeria: The Politics of the Hunger Protest and the Wrong Move for the Government's Attention

Nigeria: The Politics of the Hunger Protest and the Wrong Move for the Government’s Attention

By: Dr. James Bwala

In the legendary 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause, three middle-class teenagers unexpectedly commit three separate crimes and then claim their acts were due to the fact that they were frustrated with their parental situations. In real life, a rebellion sociology definition refers to when an individual rebuffs goals and means that are accepted by a society and replaces them with goals and means that are not accepted by the society. This claim is corroborated by the definition by Robert K. Merton, which defines rebellion as when an individual replaces goals, as well as means, that are accepted by their society with goals, as well as means, that are not accepted by their society. He also defines rebellion as being more extreme than retreatism.

The August 1–10 announcement of a peaceful protest was like the classical film Rebel without a Cause; in this case, however, I can say, Protest without a Cause. Although the protest was tagged as ‘Hunger Protest’, with a promise of a peaceful movement, the resulting end clearly indicated that more than issues of hunger, the protest has its own agenda to achieve beyond the surface to which it was organized. Political protest is defined as a variety of methods used by individuals and groups to express dissatisfaction with the current political system, often involving mass activism outside of traditional parliamentary channels, such as demonstrations, boycotts, and civil disobedience. What the organizers said is that the protest is going to be peaceful. But what we saw from day one to day five of this protest was the sociology definition in Robert K. Morton’s words: rebellion.

How can someone explain the sense of burning our national flag and raising the flag of another country or the military flag in democratic settings with a call for military intervention if the real reason behind the protest is hunger?

Hunger is defined by the United Nations as periods when people experience severe food insecurity, meaning that they go for entire days without eating due to a lack of money, access to food, or other resources. However, what we saw during this period is that hunger is more complicated than empty bellies. It interconnects issues of poverty, inequality, conflict, climate change, gender discrimination, weak government and health systems, etc., all of which play a role in driving hunger.

From the discussions arising on matters of the protest, the display and interplay of issues give a reflection of the kind of society that we are living in. A society where we have all failed to look beyond ourselves and our contributions to where we are currently living and choose to shift blame is typical of a Nigerian, who sees nothing wrong with his or her action or inaction but dares to condemn the actions of others. I have lived closer to one of the biggest internally displaced persons, the IDP camp in Maiduguri, and I got the figures of persons living at that camp standing at 38,000 in population. More than 12,000 households and that camp called “Bakassi IDP Camp” in Maiduguri gave me an understanding of the definition of hunger by the United Nations.

I have traveled far and wide in my work as a reporter. I have visited places affected by Boko Haram conflicts and banditry, especially in the Northeast, Northwest, and Central Nigeria. I have visited a few places in the southeast and south-south parts of the country, and I have been home in the southwest part of the country for the last two decades of my journey in the journalism mines field. I have seen the results of poverty and what our protesters tagged as the lead in the 10-day protests as the days count. In all these, I have learned lessons about the resilience of our people in the face of hunger. That hunger is the issue for this protest was something far from the truth, and still, I cannot comprehend why it has to be about the Tinubu administration. This is not about the hunger protest; it is about a political interest, and this is the wrong move to get the government’s attention.

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Many Nigerians have been brainwashed not to see anything good about the Tinubu administration but hunger and hardship in the land. They have seen nothing in the speech made by the president. They described the speech as empty because, according to them, it did not define what they had expected. Most of them speaking have held government’s offices at certain levels in their careers and have enjoyed government’s scholarship in one way or another. In their own eyes, what they have done or contributed is good enough to position them to criticize the government today. They never see their actions or inaction in the past as contributing to the mass neglect of their duties that informed and brought us to where we are today.

I have the opportunity to speak with some high-level citizens who share their views and support for the protest. In our discussions, the list of those who supported the protest includes over 30 individuals. Some of them are friends of the president. I believe if they wanted to see the president, they could do so without stress. I do not know why they would stand so far and support or acknowledge the protest when they can easily approach the president and inform or give him advice that can move the nation forward. I could not be convinced, knowing the positions they held in the past, that their voices could not matter at this time and that only by supporting or nodding heads at the protest could they be heard.

We all know about government: the office, authority, or function of governing. Governing: having control over or ruling over oneself. We all understand governance as the activity of governing. Accordingly, governance is a set of decisions and processes made to reflect social expectations through the management or leadership of the government (by extension, under liberal democratic ideals, the will of ‘the people’ as they rule themselves). There are many issues implicit in this set of relationships whose core revolves around the notion of citizenship, as this defines the body politic over which claims of self-rule apply.

In the most general sense, we have the difference between a liberal democratic view that the government (state) serves citizens who have a natural claim to services as a benefit and right of citizenship on the one hand and, on the other, the counter-enlightenment view often associated with fascism: that the citizen must serve the state and has no rights other than those granted by the state. In what may be called the American model of citizenship, which, through our system of government practice, is a broadly endowed set of rights representing potential claims for benefits as defined by the state, what constitutes a valid claim by citizens is contested, and then the question of who qualifies to have claims met is debated. This offers us an opportunity to understand a number of pressing issues hotly contested: what is the proper role of government, who should have the right to make claims, how exclusionary or inclusive we should be as a society, how are rights defined and defended, to name but a few.

It was supposed to be a peaceful protest, as the organizers have told us. But what we saw on the streets on the first of August was nothing short of rebellion. They said it was hijacked, but who hijacked it? In what I saw on the streets, strong young men who do not qualify under the definition of hunger are those on the streets. In what I saw on the streets are young men who are raising another country’s flag other than my country’s flag. What I saw on the streets were the young men who were burning my country’s flag and chanting for military intervention. I ran through the streets and talked to some people within the bracket of hunger as defined by the United Nations; they are the onlookers and those who are praying that this does not escalate to a situation where we could not have a country to call our own because some disgruntled fools are let loose on our streets for political score cards in the name of hunger protest.

Dr. James Bwala, PhD, writes from Abuja.

Nigeria: The Politics of the Hunger Protest and the Wrong Move for the Government’s Attention

Politics

Buni wins the Yobe East senatorial seat

Published

1 day ago

May 20, 2026

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Buni wins the Yobe East senatorial seat

By: Yahaya Wakili

The executive governor of Yobe state, Hon. Mai Mala Buni CON, COMN, has won the Yobe East senatorial district primary election.

And Senator Ibrahim Mohammed Bomai has won the Yobe South Senatorial seat. While Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan GCON, the longest-serving senator, has won the Yobe North Senatorial seat, respectively.

Senator Musa Mustapha moved a motion for endorsement of His Excellency Governor Mai Mala Buni CON as the sole APC senatorial candidate for the Yobe East Senatorial District.

The motion was seconded by Hon. Lawan Shettima Ali in line with the provisions of our laws.

“I am truly grateful to our political leaders and constituents for the opportunity given to me to serve in the Nigerian Senate,” Senator Mustapha said.

He maintained that Governor Mai Mala Buni and I have always agreed on everything that we have to do to make our state better, and he is the one that will take over from me.

“With his track record of performance, the Yobe East senatorial election has already been won by Governor Buni, inshallah, and I don’t think there is anybody today with the political capacity to even come near him in the upcoming elections.

Buni wins the Yobe East senatorial seat

Politics

2027: Fintiri wins APC’s senatorial ticket for Adamawa North

Published

2 days ago

May 19, 2026

Ochuwa Ibrahim

2027: Fintiri wins APC’s senatorial ticket for Adamawa North

Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa has won the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senatorial ticket in the forthcoming 2027 general elections for Adamawa North Senatorial District.

Mr Wilfred William, the returning officer of the APC primary election for Adamawa North senatorial district declared Fintiri the winner and returned him as APC’s candidate at the collation centre in Mubi-North Local Government Area of Adamawa.

He said that the election was conducted across the five LGAs in the zone; Madagali, Maiha, Michika, Mubi-North and Mubi-South.

“The total number of votes for the five LGAs is 292,070, accredited votes 174,514, votes cast 174,514.

“The following are the number of votes scored by each aspirant; Abdulrahaman Kwacham 6,958 votes; Ahmadu Fintiri 160,579 votes and Hamisu Medugu 6,977.

“Having satisfied the requirements, Fintiri scored the highest votes and was hereby declared the winner and returned elected for the Adamawa North Senatorial District,” he said.

2027: Fintiri wins APC’s senatorial ticket for Adamawa North

Politics

2027: “VP Shettima is the soul of the Tinubu ticket.”

Published

2 days ago

May 19, 2026

News Net Global

Vice President Kashim Shettima

2027: “VP Shettima is the soul of the Tinubu ticket.”

By: Dr. James Bwala

In the complex and often unpredictable landscape of Nigerian politics, few figures command the nuanced respect and unyielding support that Vice President Kashim Shettima does within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and beyond. As Nigeria approaches the pivotal 2027 elections, political discourse has increasingly focused on the symbiotic relationship between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his vice president, Shettima—an alliance many analysts and insiders argue forms an inseparable whole. Among those who have championed this narrative for over a decade, I have steadfastly promoted and defended Shettima’s candidacy and political persona in the media, convinced that he is not only indispensable to Tinubu’s ticket but indeed its very soul.

Shettima’s political journey is marked by resilience, versatility, and a deep commitment to Nigeria’s democratic evolution. From his early days as governor of Borno State—where he confronted extremist insurgencies with a combination of diplomacy and firmness—to his current role as vice president, Shettima has consistently demonstrated qualities essential to governance: courage, strategic thinking, and an unshakeable connection to the grassroots. These attributes have earned him a rare kind of political capital, transcending regional and ethnic divides that often constrain Nigerian politicians.

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The past few years have seen me articulate these points repeatedly, emphasizing Shettima’s unique ability to balance the interests of northern Nigeria while aligning with Tinubu’s southwestern base. This duality is critical in a country where political equations are fundamentally intertwined with geography and identity. Shettima’s presence on the ticket effectively broadens the coalition, ensuring that the APC maintains electoral competitiveness across key demographics. His role is not merely symbolic or ceremonial; it is a strategic masterstroke aimed at reflecting the diversity and unity Nigeria aspires to embody.

Yet, despite these clear advantages, skepticism about Shettima’s political heft persists among certain commentators and factions. Some critics assert that he lacks the “political weight” to govern effectively at the national level or that his influence is confined to limited spheres. These critiques often hinge on isolated events or a narrow interpretation of political dynamics. However, such views overlook the broader, more intricate realities of Nigerian politics, where soft power, coalition-building, and consensus-making are just as vital as raw electoral numbers or populist appeal.

READ ALSO: https://newsng.ng/2027-between-president-tinubu-and-vice-president-kashim-shettima/

A compelling rejoinder to these doubts was recently offered by my respected colleague, Mr. Abdul Rafiu Lawal, former correspondent for TELL Magazine, whose insights carry considerable weight owing to his extensive experience and analytical rigor. Lawal described Vice President Shettima as the “soul of the Tinubu ticket,” a phrase that encapsulates the essence of Shettima’s indispensability to the ruling coalition. He went further to caution that if President Tinubu were to disregard or sever this alliance, he would be committing a grave political error—a move that would jeopardize the ticket’s viability and electoral success.

Lawal’s commentary crystallizes the argument that Shettima is far more than a mere running mate; he is the linchpin of their collective political destiny. His presence on the ticket provides coherence to the APC’s narrative of inclusiveness and stability amid an often fragmented political landscape. Indeed, Shettima’s extensive networks, especially in the crucial Northern geopolitical region, afford the administration a strategic edge in mobilizing voters and consolidating support in areas that might otherwise remain skeptical of the Tinubu-led platform.

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Beyond electoral calculations, Shettima’s role as the vice president projects a message of reconciliation and forward-looking governance. Nigeria’s history is punctuated by periods of sectional tension and mistrust among its diverse ethnic groups. Having a northeasterner of Shettima’s stature occupying this high office signals a commitment to embracing all corners of the nation, fostering unity and shared purpose. This symbolism resonates with millions who seek assurance that their voices and concerns matter in the corridors of power.

VP Shettima embodies a blend of youthful dynamism and seasoned political acumen that complements Tinubu’s leadership style. Together, they project an image of a government both rooted in experience and responsive to contemporary challenges. This synergy is critical as Nigeria confronts pressing issues—from economic diversification and security threats to social cohesion and infrastructural development.

READ ALSO: https://newsng.ng/2027-between-president-tinubu-and-vice-president-kashim-shettima/

Detractors might argue that political alliances in Nigeria are ephemeral, driven by expediency rather than enduring conviction. While this skepticism is not unfounded historically, the Tinubu-Shettima partnership demonstrates notable durability and shared vision. It is a relationship forged not solely on political convenience but also on mutual respect and a convergent understanding of Nigeria’s needs at this juncture. The consistency of Shettima’s public service record, alongside Tinubu’s leadership trajectory, attests to a partnership built on genuine collaboration.

In light of these considerations, the discourse surrounding the “Shettima issue” must be reframed. Rather than questioning his legitimacy or capacity, stakeholders ought to recognize that the vice president’s role transcends individual ambition. He is a critical agent for national consolidation, whose contributions underpin the larger framework of political stability and growth.

READ ALSO: https://newsng.ng/2027-between-president-tinubu-and-vice-president-kashim-shettima/

As the nation moves closer to the 2027 elections, the importance of coherent, inclusive leadership cannot be overstated. The stakes are high, and the electorate is discerning. Political actors who understand and embrace the composite nature of Nigeria’s polity will be better positioned to deliver lasting progress. Herein lies the significance of Vice President Kashim Shettima’s place on the Tinubu ticket—it is the embodiment of unity in diversity, a strategic nod to Nigeria’s pluralistic fabric, and a testament to the power of principled partnership.

The vice president is undeniably the soul of the Tinubu ticket. His political gravitas, regional representation, and commitment to national development enrich the ticket’s appeal and functionality. To undermine or dismiss his role is to risk destabilizing an alliance that offers Nigeria a credible path towards cohesion and prosperity. As articulated by Abdul Rafiu Lawal and evidenced by decades of Shettima’s public engagement, the vice presidency is not a peripheral appointment but a central pillar in the architecture of Nigeria’s evolving democracy. For those invested in the country’s future, embracing Shettima’s indispensability is not just a political calculation—it is a patriotic imperative.

* James Bwala, PhD, writes from Abuja.

2027: “VP Shettima is the soul of the Tinubu ticket.”