MEDIA RELEASE
1st August, 2024
Planned Nationwide Citizens' Mass Protests achieved its Purpose before Commencement
....... Government must now move Swiftly and Sincerely to Engage Protesters and Implement Emergency Promises Made to Citizens
....... If Government Acts, Protesters Bound to Review Protest Plan and Time Frame
The Leadership of the organised Civil Society under the umbrella of United Action Front of Civil Society, UAFCS, rising from a major assessment meeting of its Situation Room in the early hours of today, August 1st is compelled to urgently make some interventions on the nationwide citizens' mass protests on hunger in Nigeria following the plea by the lead Solicitor of the initiators of the Nationwide Citizens' Protest, Mr Ebun Adegboruwa, SAN that the plan for the protest should be reviewed since it has already achieved its essential purpose before commencement
Our profound X-ray of the nationwide protests vis a vis the strong appeal by the lawyer of the organisers and the emergency responses of government to the planned protests at our situation room this morning essentially agrees with the submission of Mr Ebun Adegboruwa, SAN that with the sharp responses to the nationwide citizens' protests by various levels of government nationwide coupled with the numerous promises and panicky steps taken by government at all levels as well government frantic appeals to citizens for time and restraint, the protest in our sincere view has already achieved fifty percent of its purpose.
However, the concern of most leaders of the organised Civil Society is the long-standing history of government treachery and unreliability as touching its promises to citizens and peoples of Nigeria. This trust deficit between government and citizens in Nigeria is self inflicted by government officials notorious for abandoning and ditching promises and commitments made to the people without scruples or batting an eye lid, which is why the organisers of this protest would like to stay out on the streets of Nigeria until government yields to their demands and starts implementing them
Therefore, in the light of this grave concern about the reputation of government that we call on the Federal Government and Government at all other levels of Nigeria that if they are indeed serious and sincere about their various promises and pleas towards averting the Citizens' Action, to immediately identify, invite and engage leaders and organisers of the nationwide mass protests to negotiate citizens demands and the implementation of agreements reached during the negotiations so as to enable Protesters reduce the days of the nationwide protests as requested by Mr Ebun Adegboruwa SAN.
For us, the ball is purely in the court of government to expend more time and energies in engaging and interfacing with the initiators and leaders of the protests rather than those being recruited to oppose it. We hope that government, just as the Inspector General of Police did two days ago, will immediately take up the brace to engage Protesters and negotiate the country out of the brewing national crisis rather than recruiting pro government, anti protest forces to make the citizens peaceful protests violent and riotous.
Signed
Olawale Okunniyi
(Veteran Che)
08033993867
Head, Coordinating Secretariat,
United Action Front of Civil Society
NB: Once again, for help and support during the nationwide protests, citizens are enjoined to contact Protest Monitors at the situation room of the organised Civil Society via the WhatsApp of the following hotlines: +23481-884-51511, +234 814 286 4904,+234 703 504 6101, +234 803 582 3617. Please note that the above hotlines are for whatsApp messages Only.
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