Tension in Nigeria ahead August protests •The people have lost faith in Tinubu’s govt – Analysts

There is apprehension in Nigeria as the final count­down to the August protests begins.

The protest is being organised to drive home the peoples feeling about the growing inability of the majority of Nigerians to cope with the high cost of living and closing access to public utilities, reports Sunday Independent.

The federal government has been on its toes, attempting to talk the organisers out of the planned action, but they have insisted it must take place, and security agen­cies have since swung into full scale preparation to manage the situation.

In some cases, harassment of in­dividuals are already being reported, a situation which has been deplored by activists.

In a chat with our correspondent yesterday, Dr Andrews Okh­irebhu, a cleric and public affairs commentator, said the issue of pro­tests in civilised societies is very nor­mal, democratic and constitutional.

He said that protests in civilised climes are used by the citizens when particularly aggrieved with the pol­icies of the government that are an­ti-people and economically threaten­ing, as it is presently in Nigeria.

Okhirebhu stated: “Frankly speaking, the tension in the land is unduly unnecessary and uncalled for.

“The tension is as a result of the present government’s obvious insen­sitivity and unconscionable posture since the beginning of the admin­istration, in its style of ‘heating the ground running.”

Okhirebhu stressed: “Following the barrage of trial and error steps so far taken, the present situation is dicey, uncertain, unpredictable and hazardous.

“All round, things look hopelessly hopeless for the common man in the streets, market people and the same with the businesses.

According to him, “The only way for the people to register their pains and dissatisfaction with the leader­ship is through non-violent protests, agitations and a revolution, if need be.

He said, “The only fear is the Nige­rians’ undue factor of ethnic and reli­gious sentiment and the government taking the usual inordinate advan­tage with the tool of ‘divide and rule’ factor to cause killings and mayhem.

“The government is already mak­ing some unguarded and sarcastic statements and false accusations.

“You are asking how the govern­ment and security agencies should handle the issues concerning the mass protests.”

On how security agents and the federal government should act during the coming protests, Okh­irhebu laughed, saying, “Do you need to ask how the government and security should act? Have they not started to threaten the supposed planners and sponsors of the pro­tests and even arrested them? Are they not sponsoring groups and peo­ple, including leaders, to counter the protesters, when the protests have not started?

“The first step would have been to rebuild the lost faith and confidence of the citizens in the government with sincerity of governance and people friendly policies of hope.”

Bishop Hebert Ekechukwu, a church overseer and economist, said the planned nationwide protest by students and civil society groups will certainly have the support of the youths.

“The government is bent on sab­otaging the efforts of the people of Nigeria.

“The irony of the matter is that the same people during Dr Good­luck Jonathan’s administration, who fought furiously against him on subsidy removal, are now anti-pro­testers. It is a shame they are even calling protesters terrorists.

“The beautiful aspect of politics is mass participation.

“The present Tinubu regime should not clamp down on protest­ers; rather, the government should open channels of communication with students and civil society organ­isations with a view to understand their grievances.

“Secondly, the government should caution security agents on respect of human rights and its violation. They should make use of non-violent crowd control methods, avoid exces­sive use of force and intimidation.

“The security agents should pro­tect peaceful protesters. They should maintain public safety. They should maintain public safety.

“There should be continuous monitoring and assessment of sit­uations.

“Also, the government should quickly address critical issues raised by the protesters.”

Demand For Pro-People’s Policies – CSOs Tell FG

Meanwhile, Organised Civil Soci­ety Organisations (CSOs), under the umbrella of The United Action Front of Civil Society, have told President­Tinubu to yield to citizens’ demand for pro-people’s policies.

The group in a press statement yesterday signed by Olawale Okunni­yi, Head, Coordinating Secretariat, United Action Front of Civil Soci­ety, expressed concern at 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 1 to 10.

The statement read, “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’re 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.”

Foundation For National Prosperity

But, the South West Agenda for Asiwaju (SWAGA) has appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as he lays the foun­dation for the collective prosperity of Nigeria and Nigerians.

In a statement jointly issued on be­half of the foremost presidential sup­port group by its National Chairman, Senator ‘Dayo Adeyeye, and its Na­tional Secretary, Hon. Bosun Oladele, in view of the planned nationwide protest, the group called attention of the citizens to the likely destruc­tive consequences of such protest at this time that many countries of the world are grappling with economic challenges defying conventional solu­tions and quick-fix approach.

According to the statement, Nige­ria is a lucky country to have a leader like President Tinubu at this time, who is not only a listening president, but a proactive one that is not de­tached from the feelings, yearnings and expectations of the populace.

The group referred to the policy reforms and programmes of the cur­rent administration embarked upon in the last one year as the foundation being laid for a prosperous Nigeria of tomorrow that we all will be proud of.

“For example, the latest approv­al of the new minimum wage, the financial autonomy of the local governments in a bid to ensure that dividends governance is closer to the grassroots, the six months wage award paid to federal and state civil servants, the food palliatives to state, the N200 billion intervention fund for Medium and Small scale Enter­prises, N150bn investment in com­pressed natural gas for mass transit, Nigeria Education Loan Fund for students and the newly inaugurat­ed Consumer Credit Scheme, among others, are rapid reforms and inter­vention policies that are unprece­dented in the history of governance in Nigeria.

“If all these and others have been put in place within one year of this government, one can imagine how things will look in the next three years and in future. It is therefore important to thread with caution to avoid anarchy that will eventually truncate these lofty progress on our road to glory as a nation, after all ac­cording to Napoleon Hill, patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for suc­cess.”

Finally SWAGA said: “We have witnessed such protests that ought to be peaceful as a nation and in other countries like Kenya, but that were hijacked by miscreants with the attendant ruin of livelihood, businesses, jobs, loss of lives, etc.

“No one can predict where and when things will go wrong when it is a mob action. We are already going through economic challenges as a result of years of bad governance and recent global health challenges and the citizens are bound to suf­fer more when the chips are down due to needless protests that may result in looting and anarchy if not shelved.

“It is said that ‘trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit’. The Nige­ria of our dreams will arrive faster when we tread the path of patience and perseverance as the government works for our collective benefits.”

Words Of Caution Over Planned Protest

The Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) has joined its voices with other stakeholders to caution those planning a nation­wide protest across the Federation to shelve the idea and embrace dia­logue, peaceful and amicable resolu­tion of all the issues at stake.

As an umbrella body for the Mus­lim Communities in the South West, MUSWEN believes in mutual con­sultation, dialogue and peaceful res­olution of any national issue in line with Islamic dictates as contained in the Holy Qur’an.

MUSWEN in a statement released yesterday and signed by its Presi­dent, Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo, implores those behind the proposed national protest over the current economic hardship in the country to realise that such action may be hijacked by some unpatriotic elements, thus making it violent and destructive.

According to the statement, “It must be pointed out here that no matter how peaceful a protest might be in Nigeria, hoodlums and miscre­ants usually participate in it, thus turning the whole exercise into un­controllable and destructive crises.

“It is important to stress here that organising any public protest now in the country will only worsen an already bad situation which the protest wanted to correct and may also lead to destruction of lives and properties.

“In as much as MUSWEN be­lieves in the fact that individuals and groups have freedom to protest, such an act must follow its decorum and that the situation in the country now does not call for such.

“MUSWEN therefore call on those aggrieved and have better ideas on how to move the nation forward to be patriotic enough to share such noble ideas with those in the helm of affairs and give them more time to implement such.”