Organised Civil Society throws weight behind planned nationwide protests

The United Action Front of Civil Society has declared full support for the planned hunger protests scheduled to hold nationwide from August 1 to August 10.

The society made the declaration today in a statement made available to the press.

Signed by its Head, Coordinating Secretariat, United Action Front of Civil Society, Comrade Olawale Okunniyi, the activists group said it was very disappointing that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who has been one of the civil rights activists in the country is the one now working against the very essence of democracy which he fought against during the military regime.

“We are even very shocked that a Bola Tinubu, who is supposed to be a product of our pro democracy struggles against the military can become the most culpable President of Nigeria for anti people and anti democratic rule.

“We had thought that a person with the democratic experience and credentials of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must have by now resolved the Nigeria democratic and economic crisis, whose simple solution we articulated and put in the face of the military but alas his short reign has deepened the economic hardship and sufferings of Nigerians”, said the statement.

The group further warned the Tinubu-led federal government to stop blackmailing and threatening opposition leaders.

It further demanded the that fuel pump price should be drastically brought down to pre January, 2023 price of PMS at ₦167 per litre, as this, according to the statement, will catalyst a major shift in increasing the purchasing power and wellbeing of Nigerians especially the masses and youths.

Below is the full statement:

PRESS STATEMENT

Friday, 26th July, 2024

Organised Civil Society To Monitor Nationwide Citizens’ Protest:

… Charges Tinubu Government To Yield To Citizens’ Demand For Pro People’s Policies

… And to Stop Blame Game and Blackmail of Innocent Nigerians Over the Protest

…Demands Immediate Reversal of Fuel Price to ₦167 Per litre instead of entreching Corrupt system of Palliatives

…Reaffirms Civil Protest as a Constitutional Right of Nigerians and universal Democratic tool

The United Action Front of Civil Society is alarmed by the blame game and blackmail tactics currently being deployed by handlers and aides of President Bola Tinubu in trying to arm twist and intimidate Nigerians out of the impeding Nationwide Citizens’ Protest instead of immediately addressing issues of the unbearable economic situation necessitating the planned mass action slated for August 1st to 10th.

As Leaders of the organised Civil Society and Pro democracy movement, who forced the military out of power for the restoration of the current democracy being presently bastardised by opportunists in power, we sadly wish to note that governance in Nigeria has largely become self serving having been hijacked by political traders and state captors, to the exclusion and detriment of a vast majority of Nigerian Citizens, who presently wallow in abject poverty, penury and hopelessness.

Yet these mercantilists in power, who are presently entrenched in destructive state capture of Nigeria, rather than check their excesses and repent of their exploitative politics, are still blind folded by their lust for rapacious aggrandisement of perks of office and filthy lucre to the extent of shamelessly indulging in blaming and blackmailing innocent leaders of the opposition for their self inflicted conflicts with the Nigerian citizens.

We are even very shocked that a Bola Tinubu, who is supposed to be a product of our pro democracy struggles against the military can become the most culpable President of Nigeria for anti people and anti democratic rule. We had thought that a person with the democratic experience and credentials of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must have by now resolved the Nigeria democratic and economic crisis, whose simple solution we articulated and put in the face of the military but alas his short reign has deepened the economic hardship and sufferings of Nigerians.

As vanguard of democracy in Nigeria, which the Tinubu government has refused to listen to its various appeals for good governance and pro people’s policies, we wish to throw our weight behind the planned peaceful nationwide citizens’ protest to compel government to hearken to the voice and demand of the people for the amelioration of the sufferings and hardships in the land, which was essentially exacerbated by the mindless hike in the price of petrol by the Tinubu Administration.

Consequently, government must go beyond blackmailing opposition leaders and issuing threats and chamelionic appeals to Nigerians by taking urgent actions to drastically bring down the Price of petrol to pre January, 2023 price of PMS at ₦167 per litre as this will catalyst a major shift in increasing the purchasing power and wellbeing of Nigerians especially the masses and youths, as no amount of ‘corruptive’ palliatives could solve the economic hardships and sufferings brought upon the citizens by the “subsidy has gone” directive of President Tinubu during his inauguration on May 29, 2023.

Finally, we wish to inform Nigerians that the organised Civil Society as the conscience of the Nation is set to monitor the planned Nationwide Citizens’ Action in ensuring and assessing compliance with ethics of civil protest, especially on the side of security agents.

Therefore, we wish to appeal to government and security agents not to turn the planned citizens’ civil action, as usual, to riots and anarchy by trying to forcefully stop or frustrate the peaceful protest of the citizens of Nigeria, as this will only irk the resistance of Nigerians to the growing dictatorship of government and further expose Nigerian security forces as oppressive and anarchical rather than being democratic and supportive as the case should be since Civil Protest in Nigeria is a Constitutional Right of the citizens and a universal democratic tool to negotiate good governance.

Signed

Olawale Okunniyi

Head, Coordinating Secretariat

United Action Front of Civil Society