·Christian bodies say action could end in regret
Amid growing opposition to the nationwide protest planned to commence on Thursday, August 1 by some youths in the country aggrieved about the state of the economy, two notable activists came out at the weekend to say there is no going back on the action.
The two activists - Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN) and Mr Deji Adeyanju - said they were speaking on behalf of their groups.
While Adegboruwa represents the Take It Back Movement, Adeyanju is of concerned Nigerians.
This development came just as some key regional groups - Afenifere (South-West), Yoruba Council of Elders (South-West), Ohanaeze Ndigbo (South-East) and Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) - disagreed on the protest.
Key religious groups in the country also weighed in, saying the protest could lead to regret on the part of promoters.
The protest, tagged #EndBadGovernance, has, in past weeks, generated tension as the Federal Government and security agencies mobilised against it because it could threaten the stability of Nigeria the way the #EndSARS protest of 2020 did.
Meanwhile, there is no clear leader for the protest as the promoters believed to be youths referred to as Gen Z, operated mainly on social media.
And the protest has been variously described in fiery terms including being tagged, 'Days of Rage'.
Promoters say it will last 10 days.
Adegboruwa writes IGP, DSS --DG
Adegboruwa, as part of the preparations for the protest, on Friday, notified security agencies, requesting protection over planned "public meetings, rallies, and processions by the Take It Back Movement, its members some patriotic Nigerians and groups". In the letter, dated Friday, July 26, 2024, the senior advocate, writing as solicitor to the Take It Back Movement, notified the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Director General of the Department of State Service (DSS) that the planned rallies would commence from August 1 to 10, 2024, or any time thereafter.
He said the rallies would be held at the Eagle Square in Abuja and other public spaces in the capital cities of the 36 states and the headquarters of the 774 local government councils.
Adegboruwa, while reiterating the role of the security agencies during such rallies and protests, urged the leadership of the security agencies to make available the details of any of their officers or teams that will be assigned to cover the said meetings/rallies/processions to harmonise plans and strategies for the same.
'Protest necessary'
Adeyanju, on his part, described the protest as necessary. The activist spoke to Sunday Vanguard in an interview. See full interview on page ...6
Afenifere, Ohanaeze, PANDEF, others speak
In separate interviews, Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, PANDEF, and YCE, acknowledged that although the citizenry is going through hardship, there is a need for caution.
Ohanaeze, for instance, warned Igbo youths against engaging in any demonstration, saying it may be an opportunity for other ethnic groups to express their grievances against them.
PANDEF and YCE, however, urged the populace to explore avenues of constructive dialogue with government, noting that President Bola Tinubu will give a listening ear.
Igbophobia
National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, in a statement made available to Sunday Vanguard, said: "On February 20, 2024, the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, late Dr Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, directed the Igbo not to join in the protest against President Bola Tinubu. The Igbo leader explained that Igbo youths and youths from other ethnic groups at various times expressed their dissatisfaction with events in the country.
"It is clear to us that when youths from other tribes of the country are involved, they are reprimanded and forgiven, but when the Igbo youths are involved; they are arrested, incarcerated and even charged for serious offences. For example, the arrest and detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu generated a lot of problems for the Igbo.
"Emphatically, the current hardship in Nigeria is the comeuppance of Igbophobia. It is an unavoidable outcome of an orchestrated injustice, marginalisation, callous conspiracies, corporate shenanigans and ethnic bigotry against the Igbo.
Policy of injustice
"Ohanaeze Ndigbo stands on a firm wicket based on reason, history and experience, to state that there can never be peace, progress and national development when there is a deliberate government policy of injustice, tantrums and brimstones against a vibrant, capacious, resourceful, resilient and populous ethnic group such as the Igbo.
"On Saturday, March 25, 2023, during the occasion of one year in Office of Professor Chukwuma Soludo, the Governor of Anambra State, the former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo condemned the persistent aversion to the people of southeastern extraction, which he described as Igbophobia. Obasanjo added that unless Nigeria throws its doors open to merit and full inclusion of the Igbo in national affairs, the country will continue to flounder and grope in the dark.
"Finally, the Igbo are once again requested not to join the forthcoming nationwide protest. When President Muhammadu Buhari appointed about 15 Service Chiefs in Nigeria and Igbo was secluded, did the lopsided policy abate the security situation in Nigeria? Have we died? It was Robert Schuller who posited that tough times never last but tough people do."
Forced into office
Secretary-General of YCE, Chief Oladipo Oyewole, on his part, told Sunday Vanguard that although protest is a fundamental right, Nigerians ought to be patient with the President because he has their interests at heart.
According to Oyewole, the protest is unnecessary and should not be held based on the fact that government has shown a policy direction.
He said: "Our President did say that he was not forced into office. He said he has always wanted to be a president; so, he worked hard to be president and was elected. We believe that if a person was not forced into office, he would have made necessary arrangements to succeed in that office.
"The President wants to succeed in that office and he has said that many times. I believe that the President will not want to fail in office; with the grace of God, he will work hard. On the trending intention to strike nationwide, we believe that we should be a little more patient. As an elderly Nigerian, I have lived through so many heads of state and presidents. We believe that Bola Tinubu should be given a chance.
"Our dear president has a plan for us to live together without any stress. He is there to succeed and we must be patient to allow him to do the work. As elders, we see beyond the present situation where people should protest and create chaos. Nigerians should be patient to allow him to put into motion the plans he has."
Disenchantment
National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Jare Ajayi, in his contribution, stated even though the planned demonstration is in order, some factors need to be put into consideration
He highlighted that the first thing to consider is whether protest is the only means by which the government's attention can be called to the perceived hardship in the land.
Ajayi said: "And, if the protest path is to be taken, what form should it take? Engagement is a very potent instrument not only to call attention to the situation on ground, but to decide on what the ways out should be. Incidentally, the federal government has not only expressed its awareness of what is going on in the country, it expressed a commitment to engagements with Nigerians so as to find solutions to the myriad of challenges that the country is facing, which are the basis for the planned protest.
Scars of protest
"The experience of what happened during the Endsars in 2020 is still fresh in our minds. Scars of the protests can still be felt in various places. For instance, the non-pareil modern laboratory in Lagos that was destroyed then could not be replaced up till now.
"A laboratory that had nothing to do with what the protesters was venting their anger against. The destruction of the laboratory has meant that tests that could be routinely done in Lagos now have to be taken to the United States of America. We also call on relevant arms of government not only to meaningfully engage the people but to make manifest steps being taken to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians within the shortest possible time."
Restraint
Speaking in a chat with Sunday Vanguard, National Publicity Secretary of PANDEF, Mr Ken Robinson, appealed to the government to pay attention to the demands of the organisers of the protest.
Robinson argued that whereas it is the fundamental right of the citizens to protest against hardship, injustices, perceived marginalisation or wrong policies of government, protests do not usually turn out well.
He said: "But based on experiences from the past and how this sort of protests was hijacked by miscreants and criminal-minded elements and degenerated to violence, PANDEF advise youths of the Niger Delta region and, by extension, Nigerian people to exercise some level of restraint in expressing their dissatisfaction.
"We agree that times are tough, majority of Nigerians are finding it very difficult to meet basic needs, but protest at this time, consequences might be there, and it might not be in the best interest of even those planning the protest, and those who will participate, particularly in the Niger Delta where we have suffered several issues of violence.
"So, we are appealing to our young people to explore other avenues of constructive dialogue with government. It is also important to call on the government to pay heed to what the organizers of the protest are saying, the issues that have been brought up and look into the most critical ones that would alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians."
Referendum
Igbo National Council, INC, led by Chilos Godsent, told Sunday Vanguard it supports the protest, adding that the group will stand by the Nigerian masses.
Godsent said: "INC will stand on the side of the Nigerian Masses on the planned Nationwide Hunger Protest. We really sympathize with the Nigerian masses on the level of economic hardship the people are passing through in the hand of Tinubu. In view of the above, INC calls on Tinubu to reduce the price of petroleum products, foreign exchange rate and the prices of foods commodities before the protests. INC believes that the protests are capable of changing the country's socio-economic and political narratives."
Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, and the Ohanaeze Youth Council, OYC, on their parts, stated that the Igbo will not partake.
COSEYL's President General, Goodluck Ibem, said: "We are totally against any form of protest against the Tinubu administration. One of the major reasons for the hunger and food shortage we experience today across the nation is caused by the inability of Nigerian youths to engage in agriculture. Farming is seen as a taboo and a business or job done by the poor. Our youths only want white-collar jobs, business; bet or advance free fraud, otherwise known as Yahoo."
Commenting, OYC's Igboayaka Igboayaka, said: "We won't take other tribes in Nigeria seriously until they stage a protest against section (2) of the 1999 constitution as amended. The real protest in Nigeria should be a protest to alter section (2) of the 1999 constitution as that section of the constitution and give referendum a chance. The best protest that will address the problem of Nigeria is protest for referendum or self-determination."
Sharing their views, Members of the Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association, ASPAMDA, Trade Fair Complex, Lagos, dissociated themselves from the protest, saying it may end up causing chaos, leading to loss of lives and properties.
Addressing newsmen in Lagos, President of ASPAMDA, Ngozi Emechebe, said: "It is clear that there are challenges in the country, but let us not compound the situation by embarking on protest which may lead to loss of lives and properties.
Let us give President Bola Tinubu some more time. He has only spent a little over one year in office.
ASPMDA identifies that this situation did not start today in Nigeria. With the steps President Tinubu is taking, Nigeria will bounce back very soon.This is a clarion call for all the Nigerian citizens to sit up, adjust and work with the President to achieve success for the nation.
"ASPAMDA is too busy for this kind of protest because every member is committed to the progress of the nation. That is why we are nation builders; we keep the nation moving by making sure we supply the needed spare parts to make sure Nigerians go around wherever they want to go with their vehicles."
Protest could end in regret, CAN, PFN, GPFN warn
Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, and Global Peace Foundation Nigeria, GPFN, also speaking on the protest at the weekend, warned against the planned nationwide protest, saying it could end in regret.
The leaders expressed concerns that the protest may lead to violence, destruction, and more suffering for Nigerians, citing the experiences of the #End SARS protest.
Nevertheless, they urged government to demonstrate sincerity and address the yearnings of Nigerian youths and their sympathizers.
The leaders spoke in separate interviews with Sunday Vanguard, warning that the protest could exacerbate the already dire situation.
PFN Deputy President, Archbishop Johnpraise Daniel, urged patience and dialogue, emphasizing the need for alternative solutions.
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He said: "The protest will do no one any good. We know there is suffering in the land, and going on protest and things getting worse would bring forth more suffering than what we are experiencing. If everywhere is closed down or shut down because of protests, the bread we are buying for N2,000 will be sold at N5,000 because it won't even be available. So, I strongly recommend patience and giving the government time, while also putting pressure on the government to do the needful--to do those things that are necessary and good."
Rev. John Hayab, Country Director of GPFN, on his part, warned that the protest could be hijacked by sponsors with ulterior motives, leading to chaos and confusion.
Hayab said: "Are people hungry? Is there poverty? Is there bad governance? Do people have the right to protest? Should the people protest? The answer to all these questions is an emphatic 'Yes.' But then, you ask: How do we go about the protest? The truth is that there is a tendency for this protest to be hijacked. That's why some of us are saying, 'Can we talk more before we hit the streets?' Protesting is a fundamental right in democracy, but let's dialogue first.
"Nobody seems to have a clear face of the organizers, but what is clear is that they are backed by sponsors. Unfortunately, the rhetoric of those representing the government is not helping to provide solutions. They are spewing lies and blackmailing others, which is further making people angry. As much as stakeholders are advocating giving the government more time to fix the underlying issues, those in government need to apply wisdom and deploy mature, responsible, reasonable, and respectful language.
"Peter Obi is just one of the many innocent individuals they have lied against or sought to frame for treason over this protest. With those kinds of lies, evil people can hide under the protest to cause confusion. We know many people only want the protest as an opportunity to loot government warehouses and private shops. We have evidence of that, and that is why some of us are against staging the protest at this time. So, I want to tell the youths that protesting at this time will lead to more regrets later. We want the government to wake up and prove to Nigerians that it is serious about solving the present challenges."
Apostle Abimbola Ayuba, CAN's Director of National Issues and Social Welfare, called on the government to cut the cost of governance, mitigate the effects of hunger, poverty, and anxiety, and address the reckless conduct of some political and public office holders.
He said, "CAN understands the wave of anger being experienced by the majority of the masses, orchestrated by hunger, unemployment, and the reckless conduct of some political and public officeholders.
"CAN recognizes the inalienable rights of citizens, groups, and organisations to peaceful protest. The experiences of the End SARS protests remain a testament to the potential for violence and destruction.
"CAN be requesting the government to cut the cost of governance by all means possible to demonstrate its sincerity and align with the yearnings of most youths and their sympathizers.
Political officeholders should recognize that living in opulence, wasteful spending, and their outward disposition towards the acquisition of wealth for themselves and their families are some of the triggers of this proposed protest.
"CAN implore government at all levels to immediately mitigate the effects of hunger, poverty, and anxiety. CAN urges the planners of these protests and the entire Christian population and other faiths to rethink embarking on the proposed mass protest and choose the path of dialogue and negotiation."
