PRESIDENT of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, has come under fire from Nigerians, including legal practitioners, following his appeal to the organisers of the planned #EndBadGovernance nationwide protest slated to start August 1, to call it off.
Following his appeal, many Nigerians labelled him a pro-government leader, with some lawyers claiming he did not speak for them.
Maikyau had in a statement on Monday, July 29, appealed to the organisers and Nigerians to dialogue with the government and suspend the protest.
He noted that Nigeria’s past experiences with mass protest didn’t look good, with some unscrupulous elements using the opportunity to commit heinous crimes, and turning peaceful protest into violence.
“Whatever we are going through right now cannot be compared to the experience of civil unrest and the chaos that could ensue therefrom. Needless to mention nations that are currently going through wars with the attendant carnage and destructions. We do not even want to imagine what the experience would be, and we must forbid it.
“My humble call and appeal, therefore, to both government, the organisers and/or proponents and supporters of the planned protest, is to call off the protest, come together for a frank and sincere discussion on what must be done to immediately begin to turn around the plight of the people for good,” he said.
Reactions trail NBA’s appeal
Meanwhile, many Nigerians have called out the NBA president, expressing shock over his statement.
Some lawyers also dissociated themselves from the president’s statement while others argued that the Maikyau should be advocating for protesters’ protection.
Chidi Odinkalu, a prominent lawyer and activist, criticised Maikyau for his position on the protest.
In a post on X, Odinkalu wrote, “Anyone who can issue a seven-page release in 11-point typescript to tell competent, adult citizens they should not protest is either illiterate, a comedian, or #BoughtAndPaidFor & that is being very generous. I could be more damning. Please ignore this man.”
Also, another human rights lawyer, Festus Ogun, dissociated himself from the NBA’s statement regarding the protest.
Ogun, who had announced his firm’s willingness to protect and defend any protesters who might need legal assistance, wrote: I am a Nigerian Lawyer, and I completely support the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest. Similarly, I am leading a coalition of young lawyers volunteering to provide legal support for the protesters.
“I disassociate myself from any NBA press statement suggesting otherwise.”
In the same vein, Ridwan Oke, another prominent human rights, lawyer, expressed shock over the president’s position.
“NBA President say make dem shelve protests. He didn’t say protesters should be protected at all costs, he didn’t give an ultimatum for the government to address the concerns of the people but he wants the protests shelved? Never in the life of me have I ever imagined an NBA president issuing this kind of statement,” Oke wrote on his X handle.
The ICIR reports that some Nigerians, along with a group led by former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, have been mobilising for nationwide protests scheduled for the first week of August.
The posts and tweets on the protest carry different hashtags, ranging from #RevolutionNow, #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria, #TakeItBack, #DaysofRage and #TinubuMustGo.
However, since then, some state actors, including the presidency, military, SSS and police, have threatened the protest organisers, calling on them to suspend the plan.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M