Nigeria at 64: Nationwide Hunger Protests, Organised Civil Society Tasks Government to Dialogue with Protests Leaders Urgently

…Opens Situation Room Midnight to Monitor and Report Compliance with Civil Ethics during Protests

…Urges Security Agents not to Aggravate Protests with use of coercive force

…Offers To Facilitate Government – Protesters Dialogue when necessary

The organised Civil Society under the umbrella of the United Action Front of the Civil Society, UAFCS wishes to use the auspices of the celebration of Nigeria’s 64th Independence Anniversary to call on the Federal Government and other sub national governments in Nigeria to urgently initiate dialogue with leaders of the fearless October nationwide Protests against Hunger and Hardship, planned to commence tomorrow, Tuesday, 1st October to avert another around of costly mass action in the country.

Moreover, we view government intransigence on the need to Dialogue with citizens protesting excruciating hardship due to its unilateral and arbitrary economic policies as impolitic, which may cost the country so much in the event of a prolonged face off between Nigerian citizens and government. Consequently, we as leaders of the organised civil society are obliged at this crucial stage to offer to help in facilitating a strategic dialogue between government and leaders of the citizens action soonest if it’s acceptable to those concerned, especially the authorities in Nigeria.

Given our experience as Leaders of the organised civil society and pro democracy movement, we are concerned that this second protests may lead to a prolonged mass action that may stall governance and wellbeing of the country for a long time and therefore wish to urge the Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun to ensure that his men comply with ethical and acceptable security practice of managing civil Protests universally, especially in refraining from the application of lethal weapons or coercive force during protests so as not to aggravate the disagreement and turn the peaceful protests of citizens into unwanted and unintended violence and riots.

Similarly, we wish to counsel government to learn to involve credible leaders of the organised civil society and leaders of citizens action in its implementation of some of the demands of the nationwide protests for veritable awareness of the Nigerian public and optimum results. For instance, our monitors recently stumbled on the opaque implementation of free – subsidised conversion of vehicles to CNG version by government arising from the demands of the last nationwide protests on national television and we are perturbed that government in Nigeria only loves to indulge in “creating jobs for the boys” instead of engaging in inclusive governance.

Finally, In the light of the ‘fearless October’ citizens’ nationwide mass action on Hunger and Hardship which commences tomorrow, October 1st, which is Nigeria’s Independence day, the organised civil society wishes to announce that its situation rooms with experienced civil society monitors will open by 12 midnight of October 1st to monitor, collate and report incidents from the nationwide protests for the purpose of ensuring compliance of government and protesters alike to ethical and acceptable practice of peaceful and civil Protests worldwide. We are therefore using this medium to put the media, our key partner in this historic civil society intervention on the alert.

Signed:
Olawale Okunniyi
(Veteran Che)
08033993867
Head, Coordinating Secretariat,
United Action Front of Civil Society