On Saturday, June 29, 2024, Obi voiced his dissatisfaction to journalists in Onitsha, Anambra State, during a press conference.
Former Anambra State Governor Obi condemned the use of riots and destruction of government property during protests, stating that it is harmful and hinders progress in any country.
His remarks came in response to the recent violent protests in Kenya over tax increases, which resulted in destructive behavior and setbacks.
For several days, young Kenyans have been protesting in the streets against the introduction of the contentious Finance Bill 2024, which was proposed by President William Ruto and aimed to increase taxes universally.
Although the bill was withdrawn by Ruto last Wednesday, the situation escalated earlier in the week when demonstrators stormed the Kenyan parliament, assaulted some lawmakers, and damaged property.
In response to the current situation in Kenya, Obi emphasized his opposition to violent protests, while acknowledging the importance of peaceful demonstrations.
He cautioned that protests should not be exploited to serve individual interests, but rather to promote the greater good.
Drawing from his experience during the #EndSARS movement, Obi reminisced about his advice to protesters to channel their energy into electing competent leaders who can drive meaningful change across various sectors.
“I am against riots or destruction of government assets and property, because it is still scarce resources that we are going to use to repair them, but I’m not against peaceful protests.
“Peaceful protest is allowed, but it must be for a reason and not personal interest of some people to satisfy a particular interest. It must be properly articulated and properly directed.
“I recall ecall when people said they were protesting police brutality and I said to them no, let’s rather deal with the leadership. If we have good leaders, their agents can’t be bad. The problem is leadership. If the leaders are competent, have the capacity and doing the right thing, their agents will follow their examples.
“I want to use this opportunity to say that all those who are being held because of one protest or the other should be released. Whether it is freedom fighters, EndSARS protesters, or even because of freedom of speech, be it journalists, let them all be released immediately.
“We are in a democratic country and people have right under the constitution to express themselves freely. They also have right to peacefully protest and we must listen to them. We must listen to those who say they are not happy, that is why it is a democratic nation. We should stop acting dictatorial and behave as if this is not a democratic country,” he said.
