EndBadGovernance: Activists, lawyers rate 10 days protest

The nationwide protest held by Nigerians came to an end last Saturday after 10 days.

DAILY POST reports that organisers of the EndBadGovernance” protest said the demonstration was aimed at drawing the attention of the Federal Government to the hardship in the country.

One of the organizers and popular activist, Omoyele Sowore said Nigerians are asking the Federal Government to scrap the 1999 constitution and replace it with a people-made Constitution, return to the fuel subsidy regime, reduce the earnings of lawmakers, release Nnamdi Kanu, and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, among others.

Sowore also demanded that present and past leaders be probed, restructure Nigeria, end banditry, terrorism, and establish a special energy immediately to drive massive corruption-free power sector development.

Also, he demanded the reconstitution of the electoral body, and massive shake-ups in the Nigerian judiciary to remove cabals of corrupt generations of judges and judicial officers.

DAILY POST reports that several deaths were recorded, while hoodlums, who hijacked the demonstration, wreaked havoc on some business owners and residents.

Addressing the protesters in a nationwide speech, President Bola Tinubu had urged them to call off the demonstration and brace up for negotiation with his administration.

Speaking, Tinubu said: “Under the circumstances, I hereby enjoin protesters and the organisers to suspend any further protest and create room for dialogue, which I have always acceded to at the slightest opportunity. Nigeria requires all hands on deck and needs us all – regardless of age, party, tribe, religion or other divides, to work together in reshaping our destiny as a nation.

“To those who have taken undue advantage of this situation to threaten any section of this country, be warned: The law will catch up with you. There is no place for ethnic bigotry or such threats in the Nigeria we seek to build.”

On his part, the Edo North Senator, Adams Oshiomhole said there was no need for the protest because Tinubu was doing everything within his power to solve the economic challenges facing Nigeria.

Oshiomhole said he doesn’t recognise anyone among those who called themselves organizers of the nationwide protest.

He said: “I know Sowore as a defeated presidential candidate. And when you’re defeated in an election, you wait for the man who won the election.

“Give him time. Sowore cannot be seen as speaking for the people because he is still nursing the pain of his defeat.

“So, that’s not the guy to speak for people in Kano, for those people who throw bombs in Maiduguri or those people who hijack cars in.”

Protest a success but Tinubu not sincere – Adeyanju

Commenting, constitutional lawyer, Deji Adeyanju described the 10 days nationwide protest as a success because Nigerians were able to make the Federal Government understand their demands.

Adeyanju also accused Tinubu of being insincere with his proposal to meet and negotiate with the organizers of the protest.

 He wondered why Tinubu’s administration would arrest over 1,300 protesters and expect the organizers to meet with him.

He said: “The protest was extremely successful in the sense that the idea of protest is to draw the attention of the government to the societal ills and by so doing, the nation is able to address some of these challenges, especially when you have a government that listens to the people.

“Even before the protest started, it was successful because the government was aware of the protesters and knew what to do about their demands but failed to do the needful which was why the protest even held in the first place.

“Issues around reverting to the old fuel subsidy, cutting cost of governance, amendment of the constitution, and providing more security for the people, etc.

“The protest further emboldened freedom of assembly as enshrined in the constitution.

“Before the protest, the government at all levels, including the military, the police, even the Senate President, Akpabio, threatened people that it would not hold.

“The Presidency threatened people not to protest, even the traditional rulers joined the fray asking people not to protest in a democracy.

“So, the protest was largely successful, even though it has not come to an end yet. As long as hunger, insecurity and unemployment persist, this protest will continue.

“The president appeared uninterested in meeting the demands of the protesters; however, that is just postponing the evil day.

“These protesters are just asking for economic and political reforms, so they should be commended.

“Politicians are living large at the expense of the Nigerian people. It’s shameful that this Government has arrested over 1,300 protesters in a democracy; even the military did not arrest that much. Abacha will be so proud of Tinubu and his regime.

“Someone who said he was willing to meet with protesters was still arresting protesters two days after the demonstration. Is that the kind of person you want to meet with?

“You can’t meet such people. Tinubu’s government is very insincere and has arrested over 1,300 people. Tinubu has no intention of meeting with protesters.

“This government does not want protest, but they were the ones who protested against other governments. I see a bigger protest because as long as the issues affecting the people persist, then a bigger protest is inevitable.”

Protesters projected failures of Nigerian govt to the world – Lawyer Idam

Activist lawyer, Madubuachi Idam, said the protest succeeded in projecting the failures and ineptitudes of the Nigerian government before the international community.

He said : “Without gimmicks, I shall quickly say that the protest was a huge success, it could not have achieved a better result than the apprehension and anxiety that the protesters deposited with the government at all levels, having exposed their ineptitude and cluelessness before the international community.

“The message intended to be conveyed by the Endbadgovernance protests was well received by the authorities, whether or not the governments decide to play the ostrich and pay deaf ears to the yearnings of the protesters, is totally their own undoing which shall certainly not go without corresponding consequences at the right time, particularly during the polls.

“The only result that the Endbadgovernance protests did not achieve was a takeover of the government which was not intended and could not have been intended by the organizers of the protests nor the protesters themselves, knowing that a democratically elected government is and can only be changed through the ballot.

“The humiliation, mockery, ridicule and shaming, meted on the government by the reason of the protests, locally and internationally is one that no government would wish to experience.

“What more can a disgruntled citizen give in the expression of his displeasure towards a government that is totally unfrugal with public funds and clueless to basic economic principles if not the shame and ridicule it has exposed the government to by way of the protests.

“While I regret the casualties occasioned during the protest, I must say once more that the grievances of the citizens were well registered. Hence, the protest was a huge success.”

Protest yielded no result – Activist

A right activist cum chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Austin Okai said the just concluded nationwide protest yielded no result because the president did not grant any of the protesters’ requests.

Okai, however, advised organisers to ensure they get coordinators who would be bold enough to meet with the president in person to discuss their demands.

“The protest was okay but I don’t know what it achieved because of all the demands they made, did the president grant anyone? No.

“The president has not granted any of the requests rather he was even appealing about making sacrifices.

“The funniest thing is that the subsidy will not come back again and the Minister of Finance said they are paying a higher subsidy than before, so why can’t it reflect at the filling stations? This leads to the question, who is the president paying the subsidy to?

“Some say there is refinery in Malta and that’s where they are paying the subsidy to; these are some issues that the president and his handlers must speak about.

“I’m sure there will be another protest because this one did not yield any results and the organizers should bring in coordinators who will communicate with the government by looking at the president and telling him what people are going through and not on a placard.

“They should have a leader who can meet with the president and tell him what people are going through,”

DAILY POST

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