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Despite the consultations and mobilisations by the authorities to avert the planned 10-day nationwide protests in August, some stakeholders believe that the protests can still be called off if the federal government announces strict measures to reduce high food prices, tackle insecurity and review some of the policies that trigger the socio-economic challenges facing Nigerians like the twin shocks of subsidy removal and the devaluation of the Naira.
By Goddy Ikeh
A visitor to Nigeria in the last one week or more may think that Nigeria is about to witness or experience its first national protests against some policies of government. But a quick check shows that protests in Nigeria date back to the colonial period, post independent era, the military government era and the current democratic rule.
For instance, Nigeria has about five major protests against unpopular policies of the government. Leading the pack was the Aba Women riot/protest of 1929 against the imposition of taxes on women by the colonial government. This was followed by the Enugu Coal Miners protests of 1949, the University Students strike of 1978 against increase in tuition fees, the Occupy Nigeria Protest of 2012 against the planned removal of subsidies on petroleum products and the #EndSARS Youth Protests of 2020 against Police brutality. In all the protests, none of the protests has gained the level of appeals, rebukes, reactions and publicity like the planned 10-day August, 2024 nationwide Protests by Nigerian youths against #BadGovernance.
According to some social commentators, this is happening at a time that Nigerian youths are engaged in trying to break several Guinness World Records and suggested that the collation of the current wave of appeals to Nigerian youths to abandon the planned August protests, the mobilization involved by the federal and state governments as well as that of the organisers of the protests can break any available Guinness World Record in that field.
However, since the information on the planned August 10-day protests was made public, it has been received with mixed feelings and reactions by the federal government and the various interest groups in the country.
The report by the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, captured the mixed reactions that have trailed the planned protests in August by some unnamed groups over the current hardship in the country.
According to the report, some respondents interviewed in Ibadan opposed the protests, while others saw it as the people’s legitimate and fundamental right to air their grievances.
A civil servant at the state secretariat, Toyin Olutimilehin, told NAN that the protest might not be positive for the polity because it could disrupt their work schedule. “It can affect our daily routine because, sometimes, these protests get out of control. They will sometimes block the main road to cause extreme traffic, leading to obstruction of duty and interference to work,” she said.
Another civil servant, Folarin Babatunde, also opposed the idea of protesting to be heard. According to him, the protest is only an excuse for the youths to show their presence and an opportunity for criminals to exhibit their criminal tendencies. “It will lead to criminal activities such as vandalism and the destruction of properties. People put their lives at risk all in the name of a better country, and what is the assurance that this protest will solve the country’s many problems?
“Rome was not built in a day; give the President time to renovate the country at his pace,” Babatunde said.
On the other hand, a youth corps member, Ifeanyi Eze, says he wholeheartedly supports the protest.
According to him, the country is in a state of distress and everybody is just used to suffering and smiling; this protest is the only way for us to be heard and be seen.
“Although the protest might not lead to a complete change, it will at least make them see that we want a change, and we’ll be heard.
“This hardship is too much to bear. Dangote is also feeling it as he’s always granting one interview or the other these days.
“I want a better country and if a protest is how to get it, then that is what we’ll do,” he said.
A passerby, Steven Ayobami, told NAN that he would support the protest because of the hardship brought about by bad economy.
“For a middle-class family to be frustrated to this extent, what of the poor? The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.
“What we need in Nigeria is to act, and as for me, I want a better life,” Ayobami said.
In addition, some Nigerian Royal Fathers have opposed the anti-hunger protests and urged federal government to unlock opportunities for better life of all Nigerians.
The traditional rulers, who met in Abuja vehemently rejected the idea of the nationwide protests against hunger, insisting that the action could lead to wanton disruption of economic activities, disturbance of peace and loss of lives and properties.
They suggested that the youths should embrace dialogue in finding a solution to the impasse.
According to the resolutions adopted at the end of their meeting in Abuja on Friday, the traditional rulers noted the serious level of unemployment and the economic challenges facing the citizenry, which lead to youth restiveness and other security challenges and also acknowledged the various youth empowerment programmes of the federal and state governments in tackling the challenges.
They called on governments at all levels to ensure the proper implementation of those laudable economic programmes aimed at poverty alleviation, infrastructural development and sustenance, and employment generation, as well as demonstrate a renewed commitment to fight corruption in all its ramifications.
The natural rulers expressed their support for the creation of price control and commodity boards in order to effectively control the prices of food items and other commodities.
They also asked the federal government to provide more manpower and equipment for the military, police, and other paramilitary agencies in order to enhance security in the country.
According to the report by Vanguard newspaper, the rulers also asked the federal government to tackle cybercrimes, human trafficking and other fraudulent activities decisively by the relevant government agencies.
It added that the traditional rulers lauded the federal government over the provision of palliatives, students loans scheme and the approval of N70,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers. They also pleaded with the federal government to bring down the high cost of living in the country by addressing the high cost of petroleum products, high cost of electricity tariffs and agricultural inputs.
Reacting to the planned protests, the North-Central youths announced that they were pulling out of the planned nationwide protests. The youths numbering about 60,000 under the aegis of the Arewa Integrity Group for Good Governance in the North Central region of the country said in a statement on Friday that they decided to withdraw from the protests to give the federal government a chance to address the citizens’ needs and sustain the existing peace in the region and country.
The group’s leader, Joseph Maiwada, said that another reason for shelving the protests was due to the several appeals made to youth groups by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, who hails from the North Central region.
Commenting on the planned protests, the Ijaw National Congress, INC, advised the federal government and security agencies to exercise caution in their responses to the nationwide protests.
Prof. Benjamin Okaba, President of the INC, who gave the advice in Abuja on Saturday at a news conference tagged “State of the Nation: What the Federal Government Should Do”, said that the federal government should guard against inflammatory rhetoric and heavy-handed tactics, which could exacerbate tensions and plunge the nation into chaos.
“As our nation teeters on the brink of a proposed protest amidst unprecedented national hardship, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) urges the Federal Government and security agencies to exercise extreme caution in their responses to the agitations.
“We advise against inflammatory rhetoric and heavy-handed tactics, which could exacerbate tensions and plunge our nation into chaos.
“We equally advise all Nigerians; a peace protest is not criminal in as much as we all play according to the rules and regulations guiding such civil demonstrations,” he said.
Okaba said that the current state of the Nigerian nation was one of great concern as it was bedeviled with various challenges threatening the peace, stability and prosperity of the country.
“From political instability to economic hardship, security threats, social inequality, environmental degradation, infrastructure deficits, corruption, and governance issues, Nigeria is facing a myriad of complex problems.
“These problems require immediate attention, pragmatic policies and actions by all in and out of government.
“This proposed protest and its consequences are avoidable if only the government takes urgent steps to faithfully address the root causes of the multifarious challenges we face as a nation.
“The root causes are principally that of energy scarcity and expensiveness and the astronomical hike in the cost of basic amenities like foods, housing, transportation, security, health care services and water,’’ he said.
He urged the government to embark on constructive engagement with stakeholders with a view to providing immediate, medium term and long term remedies to the challenges.
The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in its reaction on Wednesday, dismissed reports that it was withdrawing from the proposed national protest by some citizens over the harsh economic situation in the country, saying it cannot be part of an idea that did not emanate from it.
A statement by the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said that the congress had not called for the protest and as such could not withdraw from it.
Ajaero said that the fact that NLC was not part of the organisers did not mean that it was oblivious of the dire living conditions Nigerians had been subjected to by the harsh policies of the Tinubu government.
“The truth is that the Nigeria Labour Congress cannot withdraw from a protest that it did not organise. It is only the organisers of the speculated national protest that can decide to pull out or continue with the protest.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress has internal trade union mechanisms, especially leadership decision-making processes, that its industrial actions, such as protests, pass through before such activities are undertaken,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Department of State Services, DSS, has asked persons and groups yet to identify themselves in the public as leaders of the plot to stage a nationwide protest to shelve their plans and eschew any form of proposed rage, anarchy, and spoliation.
In a statement signed by the Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Peter Afunanya, the Service says that while peaceful protest is a democratic right of citizens, it has confirmed a sinister plan by some elements to infiltrate the protest and use it to cause chaos and extreme violence in the land.
The statement added that the Service has identified the reason behind the protest to be political as the plotters desire to use the intended violent outcome to smear the federal and sub-national governments; make them unpopular and pit them against the masses with a long-term objective of achieving a regime change, especially at the centre.
“While peaceful protest is a democratic right of citizens, the Service has confirmed a sinister plan by some elements to infiltrate the protest and use it to cause chaos and extreme violence in the land,” the statement said.
And the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, has issued guidelines for the planned nationwide protest by some Nigerians in August.
Egbetokun told a news conference on Friday in Abuja that the protesters should provide details of their proposed route, assembling point; duration of the protest; names and contacts of protest leaders and organisers.
He said that the Commissioner of Police in charge of the state the protest was intended, must also be provided with measures taken to prevent the hijack of the protest by criminal elements.
“By providing these information, the police will be enabled to deploy adequate personnel and resources to ensure public safety.
“It will also help the police to designate its personnel specific routes and areas for the protest, to avoid conflict with other event or activities.
“With the information, the Police can establish clear communication channels with the protest leaders to address any concerns or issues that may arise.
“It will also help to minimise the risk of violence, property damage or other criminal activities,” he said.
According to him, the Police acknowledge the constitutional rights of citizens to peaceful assembly or protests, but it is incumbent on the protesting groups to provide the details in the interest of public safety and order.
Egbetokun called on the groups in the planned protest to cooperate with the Police, by obeying the law and adhering to global best practices for peaceful assembly.
While many Nigerians believe that the protest is the only effective way to show their pains and anger over the harsh economic realities facing them, some others says that the 10-day planned protests could have been averted if the federal government showed any serious signs of reducing the high cost of governance, tackle insecurity across the country and review some of the policies that trigger the socio-economic challenges facing Nigerians like the twin shocks of subsidy removal and the devaluation of the Naira.
A.I
July 28, 2024 @ 07:53 GMT|
Tags: planned nationwide protests in August
