How NGF Impressed It On Buhari To Make A National Broadcast – Fayemi |The Source

By Charles Igbo

More details are emerging on why President Muhammadu Buhari finally succumbed and made a Broadcast to the Nation on Thursday, October  22, 2020.

In the wake of the #EndSARS protest by Youths which engulfed the nation, leaving death and destruction on its trail, the President had kept a deafening silence, resisting every pressure to talk to the Nation, including from well meaning individuals, CSOs and the Senate of the  Federal Republic.

But in the afternoon of  October 22, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in a terse statement said the President would address the Nation by 7.00pm.

Earlier, the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, had told State House Correspondents, after the President’s meeting with all his Security Chiefs, that the President would make far-reaching pronouncements on the security situation in the country “in a few hours time.”

Many had wondered about the President’s sudden change of mind after 14 days of silence. They had attributed it to the pressure from the International Community and high profile citizens of the world, including the UN, US, EU, UK,   Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, the Senate of the Federal Republic, and Wole Soyinka.

But it does seem that in addition to that, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, through its Chairman, Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi,  impressed it, on President Buhari to talk to Nigerians.

Fayemi revealed this Friday afternoon during a broadcast to Ekiti people on why the curfew he imposed on the State will not be lifted until Monday morning.

Fayemi said he impressed it on the President, after  consultations with his Governor-colleagues.

It is not known, however, if the Governors contributed to the contents of the broadcast.

But during the broadcast, the President had told Nigerians that: “It has  become necessary for me to address you having heard from many concerned Nigerians, and having concluded a meeting with all the Security Chiefs.”

Since the President’s address, during which he asked the Youths to stop the protest, there has been relative calm, except for minimal protests here and there. The curfews imposed on some States, however, remain effective.