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Why Anti-subsidy Protests Didn’t Turn Violent Under Jonathan – Ex-DSS Director
Published
1 year agoon
By
Editor
A former Director, Department of State Services, Mike Ejiofor, has said the protest staged to kick against attempts by former President Goodluck Jonathan-led government to remove petrol subsidy in 2012 didn’t turn violent partly because of ‘the body language’ of the former President.
Ejiofor, who is the President of the Alumni Association of the National Institute for Security Studies, also said that the protesters also didn’t go irate because the situation in the country was not as bad as it is presently.
The former DSS boss gave the explanation while speaking on the planned #EndBadGovernance August 1 – 10 protests, and the moves of government to dissuade the organisers from storming the street.
Recall the DSS on Thursday warned the organisers of the planned nationwide protests against proceeding with the action, saying it uncovered a plan “by some elements to infiltrate the protest and use it to cause chaos and extreme violence in the land.”
Also, the military and police have also warned against the protest scheduled to be held from August 1 to 10 in response to the economic hardship experienced in the country.
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“The level of violence being envisaged can only be described as a state of anarchy. The armed forces on its part will not stand by and allow anarchy to befall our nation,” defence spokesman, Major General Edward Buba said on Thursday.
Meanwhile, speaking during an interview on Arise TV Morning Show, Ejiofor on Friday while answering question on why the protest of 2012 was not subjected to threats and a clampdown by security agencies, said it was partly because of the body language of Jonathan who was the then president and the situation of the country as of 2012.
He, however, said the present situation in the country has left a hard condition posing fears that the planned protest if staged, has the tendency to be hijacked because people are now “hungry and desperate”.
“The 2012 protest didn’t turn violent, one, because of the body language of the sitting president then. He allowed everything to go and the situation was not as bad as what we have now. Now, it can be exploited because people are hungry, desperate and want to use anything to vent their anger,” he said.
Arguing that while the right of the people to protest remains sacrosanct, the fear of the protest being hijacked remains high, and could be exploited by people who may seize the situation to push their personal interest.
“It is their legitimate right to protest as enshrined in the constitution. But I think they (organisers of protest) did us a lot of good by giving sufficient notice to the government of their intentions to go on protest and you can see the grounds of appeals from various stakeholders, interests groups appealing to them to shelve the plan.
READ ALSO: FULL LIST: Those Supporting, Against Aug 1 Nationwide Protest
“No matter how good their intentions are, I believe this will be hijacked eventually,” he said.
Maintaining that “the fear is very high that this protest will be hijacked”, he added that “Some people see this government as the best government whatever because of their personal interest not because of national interest… they would also represent their own interest, not the interest of the government, so that’s why we are afraid it might be hijacked.
“Some people might tell you that this APC government is not doing well, others will tell you that this is the best government.
“So, you have conflicting interests. That is why it is necessary that for now because of the enormous security challenges we have, we should not compound our problems by engaging in more protest.”
Recalling the #EndSars 2020 protest which according to him led to properties being destroyed with losses incurred by the nation and individuals, he added that though the organisers pf the #EndBadGovernance protest may have a course to protest, considering the hardship in the country, people of ulterior motives may hijack the process.
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“Looking at their demands, we will all agree that there is economic hardship in the country, there is hunger and anger in the land, but again people who are more hungry now will explore the opportunity to loot people’s shops and it will eventually turn violent and that’s why we will continue to appeal to organisers to shelve the plans and give government time to look at it,” he said.
On the warnings by security agents, Ejiofor said the security agents have the duty to respond with force should the protest turn violent.
“Nobody is saying they should not protest but if you protest and it turns violent, the government has the statutory mandate of protecting the state and the innocent citizens. The point remains that people have the right to protest as long as it doesn’t turn violent,” he said.
He, however, warned against comments by some aides of the President Bola Tinubu which he described as “provocative” and could engender provocations with ethnic colouration and religious connotations.
“There are other issues agitating my mind; the issue of some provocative statements that the president’s aides are making that is likely to provoke people, giving it political meaning, ethnic colouration, religious connotations and what a view. These are not helping issues,” he said.
READ ALSO: DSS Warns Against Planned Nationwide Protest, Identifies Sponsors
He called on President Tinubu not just to stop at consulting with interest groups in the country, but to also extend the reach to the common Nigerians at the grassroots while stressing the need for the President to address the nation in a broadcast.
“The ordinary man in the street needs also to know what is happening because some people do not even have electricity to look at the nation to know what is going on. I think the president needs to directly speak to the people, maybe make a national broadcast, this will help in relaxing the situation,” he said
Maintaining a similar position, the National Coordinator, the Grassroots Mobilisation Initiative and former spokesperson for the Coalition of Northern Groups, Sama’ila Musa, called for dialogue, submitting the presidency should “come out and address the people and sympathise with them.”
Also featuring on Arise TV morning show on Friday, Musa mentioned that current cases of rampage and looting of goods of private individuals, particularly as experienced in the Northern part of the country pose a risk of what may become of the protest should it go on.
“There is so much anger in the land. A lot of people are not happy because of some kinds of hardship in the land. It’s obvious people are complaining, prices are rising and all that, and people are suffering and you believe with me that is why people are actually calling for this protest.
“We are afraid with the level of anger right now in the Country, especially in the North as it is, we’ve seen cases where truckloads of food stuffs belonging to traders, maybe got spoilt somewhere on the road and people just move in and start offloading it, helping themselves out and that’s without riot. How much more what’s going to happen when you call for a mass protest, to what extent can the police curtail the excesses when you have situations like this?”, he queried.
He mentioned the situation may degenerate to criminal elements of the protesters “going to start looting people’s properties and vandalising ordinary citizen’s properties, carting away their goods.”
PUNCH
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News
PHOTOS: Brazil Welcomes Tinubu With Full Military Honours In Brasília
Published
5 hours agoon
August 25, 2025By
Editor
Brazil on Monday rolled out full military honours at the Planalto Palace in Brasília to receive President Bola Tinubu.
Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this on X on Monday.
READ ALSO:Tinubu Signs Direct Flight, Other Agreements With Brazil
Onanuga said Tinubu was welcomed by his host, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Onanuga said Tinubu was welcomed by his host, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
He wrote, “More photos of the official reception for President Tinubu at the Planalto Palace in Brasília, Monday, August 25, 2025. Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva welcomed President Bola Tinubu with full military honours.”
News
Tinubu Signs Direct Flight, Other Agreements With Brazil
Published
5 hours agoon
August 25, 2025By
Editor
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed a landmark Bilateral Air Service Agreement with Brazil, signalling the establishment of direct air links between Nigeria and South America’s largest economy.
The agreement was formalised on Monday during Tinubu’s official state visit to Brasília.
Media aide to the minister, Tunde Moshood, made this known through a statement, made available to The PUNCH.
At the signing ceremony which was witnessed by Messrs Nigerian President, Tinubu and the Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brasilia also had the Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, signed the agreement on behalf of Nigeria, while Brazil’s Minister of Transport, Silvio Costa Filho, also signed for the host country.
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The BASA creates a new framework for direct flights between Nigeria and Brazil, with the potential to significantly enhance trade, tourism, investment, and diplomatic relations.
The statement further noted that, “ It also marks a key step in Nigeria’s broader efforts to strengthen international partnerships and improve global connectivity.”
Tinubu had arrived in Brazil with a delegation that included Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu; Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari; and other senior government officials.
According to the statement, the Brazilian President welcomed the agreement, expressing his administration’s commitment to expanding cooperation with Nigeria in sectors such as aviation, agriculture, and infrastructure.
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He described the BASA as a reflection of the strong ties between both countries and an opportunity to deepen economic and cultural collaboration.
Tinubu is also scheduled to hold meetings with key Brazilian government officials, including the President of the Senate, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, and the President of the Supreme Federal Court.
The two-day visit will include high-level discussions between Nigerian and Brazilian delegations across various sectors, as both nations explore opportunities for mutual growth and development.
The statement reads, “The ongoing state visit will also see President Tinubu meeting the President of the Brazilian Senate at the National Congress, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, and the President of the Supreme Federal Court.
“The working visit, which continues tomorrow, will also feature high-level engagements between Nigerian and Brazilian delegations across various sectors, underscoring both nations’ commitment to building a future of mutual growth and prosperity.”

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control on Monday issued a public alert, warning the public about confirmed counterfeit batches of Postinor-2 (Levonorgestrel 0.75 mg) now circulating in Nigeria.
The alert follows a report from the Society for Family Health, the marketing authorisation holder, confirming that they did not import the suspect batches.
Postinor-2 (Levonorgestrel 0.75mg) is a brand of emergency contraceptive pill containing the active ingredient levonorgestrel.
NAFDAC revealed there are noticeable labelling discrepancies between the authentic and fake products.
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It said, “The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) hereby notifies the public of falsified Type 1 and 2 batches of POSTINOR 2 (Levonorgestrel 0.75mg) product in circulation.
“The noticeable difference was found to be as follows: The font size of the text on the pin verification sticker appears smaller and has a wrong spelling of the word Veify instead of Verify on the fake; meanwhile, the text font on the sticker of the original appears bigger and more visible. There is also a wrong spelling behind the pack of the fake “Distnibuted in Nigeria” instead of distributed in Nigeria”, NAFDAC said.
NAFDAC identified the original Postinor-2 as batch T32458H, manufactured in February 2023 with an expiry date of February 2027 and registration number 04-6985.
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The agency, however, confirmed two falsified versions: Counterfeit Product (Type 1), batch T36184B, manufactured in August 2024 with an expiry date of August 2028; and Counterfeit Product (Type 2), batch 332, manufactured in March 2023 with an expiry date of February 2027, both carrying the registration number 04-6985.
It said that due to the potential presence of incorrect, substandard, or harmful ingredients, improper dosages of levonorgestrel, and a lack of sterile manufacturing conditions, poses significant risks to individual health and public safety.
“The risks of administering falsified Postinor 2 (Levonorgestrel 0.75mg) include failure of contraceptive effect, toxic or harmful contaminants, unpredictable side effects, delayed or missed opportunity for genuine emergency contraception, and potential long-term reproductive health impact. Unexpected side effects: Unknown substances can trigger allergic reactions, organ damage, or death.
“Counterfeit medicines are unregulated, untested, and illegal, making their safety and efficacy impossible to guarantee. Patients should only obtain Postinor-2 from verified pharmacies or licensed healthcare providers.
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“Although Investigations are still ongoing regarding the source of the falsified product, all NAFDAC zonal directors and state coordinators have been directed to carry out surveillance and mop up the falsified product of type 1 and 2 postinor 2 (Levonorgestrel 0.75mg) within the zones and states,” it added.
NAFDAC urged consumers and healthcare providers to verify PIN stickers carefully, report suspected counterfeit products, and always purchase medications from reputable sources.
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