A coalition of youths, civil societies and other groups have said that the planned nationwide protest set to commence tomorrow, August 1, would hold.
In a joint statement, the groups listed out the protesters’ demands which include the reversal of fuel prices and electricity tariffs, an end to hardship and hunger, and placing all political office holders on minimum wage.
They asked the government to release all victimised activists of the #EndSARS protest, reverse all anti-poor and neo-liberal capitalist policies, fix public refineries and build new ones, reverse all privatisation of public enterprises and place them under democratic control and management.
Besides, they sought an end to insecurity, police brutality, kidnapping and illegal demolition/forced eviction of people from their homes.
Part of their statement reads, “You are all witnesses to how over the past three weeks, the President Tinubu government, his aides, security agencies and the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) have all been trying hard to disparage, calumniate and demonise the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest.
“They have called us all kinds of unprintable names. They have threatened all sorts of violence and personal harm against us. Their paid agents have threatened to attack us and kill us if we dare come out including the threat to deploy the ‘oro cult’ against protesters in Lagos. They have accused us of several crimes including treason and of being sponsored. They have floated fake groups to pull out of a protest they were never part of in the first place.
“All that this government has done so far to try to ameliorate the situation has not worked. So-called palliatives have not gone to the real needy as they have been hijacked by ruling politicians while support for rural farmers to enhance food productivity has ended up in the hands of political farmers. It is based on the foregoing that we believe that this protest must go on regardless of the threat and intimidation.”
The group claimed that under Tinubu’s administration, several excessive allocations had been approved for political office holders, some of which included buying luxurious jets, yacht, bulletproof vehicles, and renovating residences and offices, while, the economic crises of the country had taken a toll on the citizens.
The coalition said that the protest would commence at Ikeja under Bridge, Lagos State, by 7 am, adding that it would be a peaceful parade. The group further urged security agencies not to deploy its officers to infiltrate the protest.
“For us in this coalition, we consider that the fundamental reason Nigeria is in this mess is capitalism – a socio-economic system that makes a few people rich at the expense of the mass majority. This is why this coalition calls for system change – that is a new Nigeria where the wealth of the country will be used primarily to make life better for its people instead of enriching a few.”
The ICIR reported that the president held closed-door meetings with the traditional rulers and governors over the demonstration. Similarly, political actors, including former presidential candidates, political parties and other stakeholders have issued various statements about the planned protest.
Here’s the list of groups that signed the statement:
(1) Joint Action Front (JAF),
(2) PRP Vanguard,
(3) Yoruba Revolutionary Movement (YOREM),
(4) Amilcar Cabral Ideological School Movement (ACIS-M),
(5) Youth Rights Campaign (YRC),
(6) Movement for African Emancipation (MAE),
(7) Education Rights Campaign (ERC).
(8) Precision, Electrical, and Related Equipment Senior Staff Association (PERESSA).
(9) Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights (CDWR)
Kehinde Ogunyale tells stories by using data to hold power into account. You can send him a mail at [email protected] (jameskennyogunyale@gmail) or Twitter: Prof_KennyJames