By Onyeche Igwe
Organisers of the nationwide protest against hardship have listed points of convergence for public meetings, rallies and processions across the country.
But a Lagos High Court has restricted protesters in Lagos taking part in the proposed August 1 nationwide protest to the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota and Peace Park, Ketu area of the state.
Recall that Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had asked organisers of the protest to submit to Force Headquarters contact details of those organising the protest, as well as designated points and routes of the protest.
This is even as they asked the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, to withdraw soldiers deployed across the Federal Capital Territory and other cities, ahead of the proposed protest.
The IGP, however, buckled yesterday and ordered senior officers to protect protesters in the planned nationwide protest.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the Nigerian project continued yesterday, in their call for both organisers of the protest and the federal government to exercise restraint over the protest, especially given the pro-government protests in some parts of the country on Monday.
They include Catholic Bishops, the Primate of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, and the former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Uche Secondus, among others.
Ebun Adegboruwa, SAN, solicitor to one of the protest organisers, Take-it-Back Movement, in a letter to the IGP, listed the points of convergence for the rallies to include Eagle Square, Abuja; Alausa Park, Lagos, and Opposite Wema Bank; and Akpakpava Lane, Benin City.
Other locations are opposite the School of Agric, Bauchi; Rosewale Filling Station, Iwo Road, Ibadan; Maiduguri Roundabout, opposite State Stadium, Damaturu, Yobe State; Rainbow Roundabout and Pantani Stadium, Rivers and Freedom Park, Osogbo, Osun State.
Adegboruwa, who was to have met the IGP in Abuja yesterday, based on an invitation from the police boss, requested that the meeting be enlarged and held virtually to give room for more stakeholders to attend.
He specifically requested that the meeting be led by human rights activist, Femi Falana, SAN, and attended by representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, other lawyers, and civil society organizations, CSOs.
Rising from the virtual meeting yesterday, Force Headquarters said in a statement on the outcome: “During the meeting, the IGP emphasized the importance of maintaining public order and safety during the planned protests.
“He acknowledged the group’s right to express their concerns through peaceful protests and reiterated the Police Force’s duty to facilitate such rights within the bounds of the law.
“The IGP has advised the Take-It-Back Movement, who have indicated their interest in protest, to engage with the respective state police commissioners to coordinate and plan the protests in a manner that ensures the safety of participants and the general public. ’He said this is also to pre-empt any security challenges and ensure that the protests proceed peacefully.
“Additionally, the IGP strongly advised against unplanned open and unnecessary processions due to the potential dangers they pose.
“He stressed that organizing and coordinating with the Police and other security agencies are essential steps to mitigate risks, protect the rights of all citizens, and protect the well-being of all involved.
“The Inspector-General of Police, while reiterating that the Force remains dedicated to protecting the rights of all citizens and ensuring that all public gatherings are conducted safely and securely, calls on stakeholders to work together to foster a peaceful and secure environment during the planned protests.”
Based on the request of Adegboruwa, the IGP also ordered senior officers to protect protesters in the planned nationwide protest.
In a letter, dated July 29 and signed by Johnson Adenola, the IGP principal secretary, IGP Egbetokun granted the request of the group for police protection.
“I am to inform you that the Inspector-General of Police has directed the Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (Operations and Intelligence), the Assistant Inspectors-General of Police in charge of Zonal Police Headquarters, and the Commissioners of Police in charge of state commands across the country to attend to your request.’’
Meanwhile, a Lagos High Court has restricted protesters in Lagos to the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota and Peace Park, Ketu area of the state.
The court presided over by Justice Emmanuel Ogundare, gave the restriction yesterday, following a preemptive exparte application filed by the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro, SAN, seeking to maintain and secure public safety and prevent irreparable loss of lives and property in the state during the period of the protests.
Listed in the application as co-defendants are Adamma Ukpabi and Tosin Harsogba (for Active Citizens Group); Comrade Juwon Sanyaolu and Hassan Soweto (for Take it Back Movement); Persons unknown and Commissioner of Police, Lagos State.
While moving his application before the court, Mr Pedro argued that as chief law officer of the state and having been privy to notices by different interests who are for and against the nationwide protest, there is a need to protect critical infrastructure if the state and prevent irreparable losses of lives and property as witnessed during the #EndSARS protest in 2020.
Pedro maintained that the Police in the state did not have sufficient manpower to provide security support for protesters who planned to protest in all the local government councils public highways and other areas of public access in the state.
He further argued that there is a need to prevent the protest from being hijacked by hoodlums who are prepared to breach law and order and cause destruction in different locations in the state under the pretext of public protest against alleged bad governance.
According to Pedro, “In recognition of the citizen’s fundamental right to stage a public protest against government policies and actions but prevent unlawful destruction of lives and properties in the process, the Lagos State Government has designated two public spaces and locations in the State where citizens can meet and converge to protest or express their displeasure against government.
The locations are Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota, Lagos State and Peace Park, Ketu, Lagos State.
“Public protest in all the local government councils and public highways as well as other areas of public access in the State for 10 days is a deliberate plan to shut down the state and if this is allowed it will amount to economic sabotage.
“An order of court is required in the circumstances to protect the fundamental rights of 1st to 5th Defendants/Respondents to protest and other residents opposed to the protest to go about their lawful without harassment, disturbance and destruction of public buildings/properties.”
After listening to his argument, Justice Ogundare granted all the reliefs sought in the application.
However, despite the Presidency affirming the rights of Nigerians to peaceful protest weekend, it again condemned the organisers of the August 1 protest, saying there was no bad government in Nigeria, but a thinking one.
Senior Special Assistant on Media to President Bola Tinubu, Mr Tunde Rahman, said although Tinubu has identified that some problems needed to be addressed, they would be resolved in earnest.
Rahman, who spoke at the Lateef Jakande Annual Memorial Lecture, 2024, themed ‘’Rapidly Changing Media Landscape: Media Survival Strategies,’’ in Lagos yesterday, said the economic challenges Nigeria is facing are not peculiar to her but a global issue.
He said: “Our people have a right to protest and it is their right to do so. But we don’t know who the people behind this protest are. They are faceless.
“I’m calling on a lot of us not to go on the streets. We have to be mindful of the real motive of people who are calling us to join in the protest. Yes, challenges are there. Our economy is in turmoil. And this is not peculiar to Nigeria. Most of the world’s economies are in turmoil at the moment.
“The President is doing his best to address this problem. They’ve tagged the protest end to bad governance. I do not think we have bad governance at the moment. We have a thinking government.
‘’There are problems that need to be addressed. And some of the solutions that have been applied will resolve the problem sooner than later.
“I want to appeal to our colleagues to show understanding, to show restraint, to be prudent, and to wear the toga of eminence, statesmen and women at this time.
‘’To know that some of the policies that have been addressed have their gestational period. Let’s give these policies time to mature. ’I talked about restraint because I’ve seen headlines like hunger protests, hardship protests. Let us show understanding.”
Ahead of the planned nationwide protests, the federal government also yesterday declared all its 256 prisons across the country as “red zones”, which sanctity must not be violated under any guise.
Controller General of Corrections CGC, Hailey Nababa gave the warning in a statement issued in Abuja.
The statement read: “The Service wishes to enjoin the public that priosns and non-prisons are critical national assets which are germane to public safety as well as national security.
“Tampering with or attacking them will lead to breakdown of law and order, and further exacerbate the security of the society in general.
“The Service strongly advises all members of the public to join hands with it to ensure the protection of facilities . Adequate security arrangements have been put in place to ensure that no prison is defiled.
“The Ministry of Interior Joint Taskforce, MOIJTF, has been activated to provide extra security in and around prisons nationwide.’’
Also yesterday, one of the organisers of the protest, human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, asked the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, to withdraw soldiers deployed across the Federal Capital Territory and other cities, ahead of the proposed hunger protest.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Edward Buba, had denied that the deployment was intended to intimidate protesters, adding that “troops have always been deployed across the country in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations. There is nothing new about that (deployment), please.”
However, in a letter addressed to the Chief of Army Staff yesterday, Adeyanju noted that providing security during protests was the job of the police.
He recalled that the deployment of soldiers for protests in Kenya and during the 2020 #EndSARS movement led to riots.
“We write as a pro-human rights law firm to draw your attention to the disturbing deployment of men of the Nigerian Army across the Federal Capital Territory and other cities to suppress the scheduled August 1, 2024, national protest.
In a similar development, banks and other employers in the financial sector yesterday advised workers to be vigilant in the course of their work.
The Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions, ASSBIFI, which gave the hint, expressed concern over the protest, saying “a protest without clear leadership is an invitation to chaos.”
President of ASSBIFI, Olusoji Oluwole, however, insisted that the push for the protest was understandable because the hardship being experienced by Nigerians was far reaching.
He said: “It is quite understandable why people are clamouring for this protest. The hardship being experienced is far reaching. However, a protest without clear leadership is an invitation to chaos.
“While labour is not part of the planned action, we hope it will remain peaceful and not get hijacked by people who seek to cause mayhem.”
On safety of workers in the financial sector, he said: “Our members, through their various employers, are being sensitized to be cautious and situationally aware before embarking on any activity.
“We also expect the security agencies to responsibly provide adequate security that will guarantee law and order.”
Reacting to the proposed protest, which begins tomorrow, Anglican Primate, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, urged security agencies to prevent a repeat of the #EndSARS horror.
Speaking at the Church of Nigeria Anglican Chancellors, Registrars, and Legal Officers Conference, ACRLOC, in Abuja yesterday, Archbishop Ndukuba expressed concern over the government’s failure to address issues such as infrastructural projects, public schools, and rural communities.
He criticized the government’s handling of the economy, citing increasing hardship, starvation, and economic difficulties faced by Nigerians.
The Archbishop also called for accountability and an intensified investigation into leaders who were ‘evil and sacred cows.’
Ndukuba, who called for the establishment of a state or regional police force to address the security challenge in the country, said: “Our nation, Nigeria, is going through tough times. The country is facing increasing hardship, starvation, and economic difficulties.
‘’The appointment of Olanipekun Olukoyede to head the EFCC is commendable, but the calls for accountability are not being heeded.
“The investigation into leaders who are seen as evil and sacred cows must be intensified, and leadership should be seen as a sacred trust from God.
“Nigeria’s insecurity is a growing concern, resembling the internal conflicts in Somalia and South Sudan. The establishment of a state or regional police force can help each zone respond to insecurity, bringing stability, security, and economic growth.
“We call for restraint and caution for all the organizers and those who want to participate in this demonstration.
“We plead for patience on the part of the people and request the police, the military, and other enforcement agencies to be cautious in handling this demonstration to ensure we do not have a recurrence of the #EndSARS massacre.”
On their part, the Catholic Bishops of the Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province yesterday called on President Bola Tinubu to respond promptly to the demands of Nigerians concerning the eradication of hunger, insecurity, address of failed promises, and other issues.
The Bishops also called on the government and the sub-regional governments to, as a matter of urgency, work hard to address other issues, such as, “dashed hopes, outrageous cost of living and governance and ineffectiveness of the rule of law in curbing criminality among public officials, not to mention the ineptitude of many public officers in dealing with serious national issues.”
The communiqué co-signed at the end of the meeting held in Akure by the Chairman and Secretary of the Province, Most Rev. Leke Abegunrin and Most Rev. John Oyejola, said protests could not solve problems in Nigeria but noted that people would not have gathered the momentum to protest if governments at all levels had responded to the groans and distress calls of Nigerians.
The communiqué read: “Protests should cause no consternation in any normal democratic setting because the right to protest is guaranteed in true democracies all over the world. ‘’Protests are organized to draw the attention of governments and authorities to the opinions or demands of people or groups in society.
“In Nigeria, the impending protest has raised a flurry of opinions regarding its legitimacy and expediency. Many believe that protests are not a solution to Nigeria’s problems. They are right. Protests are not meant to provide solutions to problems. “Protests are held as a last resort for citizens who have cried out for solutions to problems and have not been heeded. Protests are the last resort for amplifying the voice of those who feel oppressed.
In its reaction, Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, rejected the planned nationwide protest and warned that a 10-day shutdown of Nigeria would be much too long, counterproductive and disruptive.
“It comes as no surprise that already, groups and organisations across Nigeria have been coming out to dissociate from the planned protests. It is unthinkable that the millions of Nigeria that feed from meagre daily earnings can sustain a close down of up to ten days,” ACF stated.
In a statement issued by the ACF’s National Publicity Secretary, Prof Muhammad Tukur Baba, the forum explained that with the bulk of its population facing existential economic and political challenges, made worse by devastating insecurity and terrorism, the protest might entail a possible lockdown of the whole country, which would imperil the lives of the people of the North, even further. It stated: “Under current circumstances, the protests have the real potential to turn violent and/or be hijacked by criminals.
‘’ACF’s concerns are aggravated by some trending posts on social media where an anonymous voice not only threatens anarchy but also ominously urged one of the Presidential candidates in the 2023 election to flee to England, ahead of the planned protest, reminiscent of the situation in Nigeria, ahead of the 1966 bloody military coup.
“ACF has been monitoring pronouncements for and against the planned 10-day nationwide protests, commencing, August 1, 2024, being organised by some anonymous group(s)…Information on social media hinge the action on dissatisfaction with the prevailing vortex of socio-economic and political challenges facing Nigerian citizens, consequent upon policies of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration since it took office in 2023.
“ACF acknowledges that Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and other universal/international conventions, guarantee citizens inalienable rights to express grievances over living conditions and aspirations, including freedom of assembly, demonstration and protests.
“ACF also acknowledges the current existential challenges that Nigerians live with are dire, made more glaring by the profligate, insensitive and ostentatious lifestyles and attitudes of Nigeria’s elected representatives and other public officials, which has resulted in palpable despair, disaffection and widespread anger for ordinary citizens.”
“However, ACF is alarmed about the goals of the proposed protest and cannot support it for the following reasons: There has been no robust engagement with representatives of the people over accountability and good governance, as for, example, with state governors, members of the National and state assemblies, etc.
Also reacting, the former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Uche Secondus, said President Tinubu lacked the moral authority to stop the planned protest.
Secondus in a statement signed by his Special Adviser (Media), Ike Abonyi, in Abuja yesterday, recalled that Tinubu, while in opposition, was a notable arrowhead in anti-government protests and wondered why he should be selfish on it this time.
He noted that citizens had a civic duty to save the country from collapse in the face of an unprecedented economic crisis and insecurity occasioned by perennial bad governance by all tiers of successive governments. “This protest should not be discouraged. Protests remain the most potent democratic platform through which the consciousness of nations can be aroused and, indeed, the consciousness of the leadership elite can be nudged and compelled to act right in the interest of citizens.”
