As organisers of the #EndBadGovt protest insist on going ahead with their August 1 march across the country the Ijaw National Congress (INC) has urged the Federal government and its security agencies to apply reasonable response to avoid casualties.
INC president Prof. Benjamin Okaba, who was speaking Saturday in Abuja made the remark urging the government and its agency to tone down inflammatory rhetoric and heavy-handed tactics, which could exacerbate tensions and plunge the nation into chaos.
“As our nation teeters on the brink of a proposed protest amidst unprecedented national hardship, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) urges the federal government and security agencies to exercise extreme caution in their responses to the agitations.
“We advise against inflammatory rhetoric and heavy-handed tactics, which could exacerbate tensions and plunge our nation into chaos.
“We equally advise all Nigerians; a peace protest is not criminal in as much as we all play according to the rules and regulations guiding such civil demonstrations”, he said.
Mr Okaba said that the current state of the Nigerian nation was one of great concern, as it was bedeviled with various challenges threatening the peace, stability and prosperity of the country.
“From political instability to economic hardship, security threats, social inequality, environmental degradation, infrastructure deficits, corruption, and governance issues, Nigeria is facing a myriad of complex problems.
“These problems require immediate attention, pragmatic policies and actions by all in and out of government.
“This proposed protest and its consequences are avoidable if only the government takes urgent steps to faithfully address the root causes of the multifarious challenges we face as a nation.
“The root causes are principally that of energy scarcity and expensiveness and the astronomical hike in the cost of basic amenities like foods, housing, transportation, security, health care services and water,” he said.
Organisers of the protest march in social media posts also urged the government not to attack the protesters.
Security agencies have been issuing vague threats warning the protesters and their patrons not to go ahead with the march. The security operatives hinged their warning on the deaths and destruction that marred the October 2020 #EndSARS protest, Kenyan uprising, expressing worry that the #EndBadGovt protest may turn out the same.
However, in a flier circulating on social media, advertising the upcoming protest contained a 10-point agenda, the intending protesters, in turn, warned security agencies that, “During this protest, if one protester is killed, maimed or arrested, we will not back down until Tinubu and his entire cabinet step down.”
