July 29, (THEWILL) – With three days to the planned nationwide protest tagged #EndBadGovernance, which is scheduled to take place from August 1 to 10, 2024, some state governments have taken the initiative to identify the organisers and begin dialogue with them and relevant stakeholders in a bid to deepen the calls by the Federal Government, traditional rulers, religious organisations, some civil and youth groups on the protesters to shelve their plan, based on intelligence that the protest might lead to destruction of lives and property.
Toeing the path of dialogue, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State fixed Monday, July 29, for a comprehensive dialogue with organisers of the upcoming national protests alongside stakeholders from the security agencies and civil society.
The governor said he instructed a select team to reach out to representatives of the various civil society groups and student bodies for a dialogue session on the state of the economy.
Stressing the importance of dialogue, the Governor Adeleke further requested key Commanders of Police and other security services to attend the session where stakeholders will be free to make recommendations on grievances and expected responses from government at all levels.
“I have instructed my team to organise a dialogue session on Monday, where stakeholders can jaw-jaw as part of peacemaking in the exercise of constitutional rights. The session will afford parties to list grievances and what they expect the government at all levels to do.
He said, “We will convey outcomes of the session to government leaders from myself to Mr President in Abuja. It will also be an opportunity to tell stakeholders what we are doing as a government to resolve the economic hardship facing our people”, the governor was quoted as saying.
While reaffirming his firm belief in the rights and liberties of the citizenry as enshrined in the Constitution, Governor Adeleke restated the need for peace and non-violent actions, saying that, “We have to sustain the peace, even as we make our feelings about the state of the nation known to the leadership. We will listen and we will act in the best interest of the citizenry.
Similarly, the Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, after the mass held at the chaplaincy of Government House, Makurdi, on Sunday, said that the security chiefs in the state had established a good rapport with various groups, which led to their dissociation from the hunger protest, adding that he took the proactive step to encourage dialogue because the state had suffered insecurity in the past and can no longer afford another protest.
Lamenting the recent violent protest in Ukum LGA of the state, where personal and government properties worth hundreds of millions of naira were destroyed and the efforts of his administration to stop ongoing killings in the Sankera area of the state, Alia expressed gratitude to the security chiefs for their efforts at initiating dialogue with the organisers of the pro-hunger protest.
He said, “I was quite excited about the efforts of the Director of State Security Service and the Commissioner of Police in the state, who on their own made efforts and established contact where necessary.
“I am grateful to organised labour in the state, the student union, the market union, and others for being considerate in not participating in any protest that might be hijacked by hoodlums and destabilise our entire peace.
Calling for dialogue while also expressing his support for freedom of expression and civil protests, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, as well as the Governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti, at the weekend expressed fear that the protest might be hijacked by hoodlums.
The duo spoke separately on Sunday, in the Country Home of Governor Otti, at Umuehim Nvosi, in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State, after a Private Breakfast Meeting between them.
Obi, who called on the security agencies to ensure that they manage the protests within the law, advised the government to engage with the protesters and dialogue with them towards addressing the reasons for the protests.
“Protest is allowed everywhere globally. And, I also say that people protest in my house and it is for us to listen to those who are protesting and why they are protesting and engage them. That is what governance is all about, you talk with them, and there is nothing wrong with that. I was governor for years and people protested and we kept dialoguing and deliberating about it.”
On his part, Governor Otti, who agreed that the Constitution allows for peaceful protests and insisted that protest must be done within the ambits of the law, expressed concern that the protests may be hijacked by unpatriotic elements, thereby creating more problems than the reason for the protests.
“My attitude to it is, yes, we’ve heard what you are saying and it will be very, very unfair to say that things are not difficult now. Things are very difficult. Hunger is real and that is true. But how do you solve the problem”?
The governor emphasised the need for Nigeria to transit into a productive economy and import less of what we consume, warning that what is happening to our naira will be a child’s play if we continue to consume imported products. He also explained that transiting to a productive economy cannot be achieved overnight.
THEWILL checks show that counterparts of governors Adeleke and Alia will soon initiate similar dialogues in their states, following their meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the presidential villa last week. Sources say the reports from the respective dialogues will inform how the President responds to the demands of the protesters in the coming days.
In the same vein, some Kano-based groups of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have asked the Federal Government to listen to Nigerians as they lament the current hardship in the country and open dialogue with organisers of the protest.
The groups are Civil Society Organisations for Conflict Resolution in Nigeria and Wazobia Conflict Resolution and Peace Advocacy.
According to them, “We are making concerted efforts to approach the government to address the prevailing hardships and dialogue with the protesters so as to find a solution to the problem”, spokesperson of the groups, Adeniyi Aremu said.
“There is widespread suffering caused by poverty and hunger in the country with people getting agitated to protest their conditions so as to attract government attention.
“We, therefore, urge the Federal Government to dialogue with the organisers of the protests to find ways of addressing their concerns.
Meanwhile, a former Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, has called on youths across the country, especially those from the Niger Delta to shun the planned August 1 hardship protest.
Sylva, a former Bayelsa State Governor in a message at the weekend, entitled, Dear Bayelsans, Proud Niger Deltans and Great Nigerians, said the protest should be shelved because no problem had been solved by agitation.
“While we know that a right to peaceful assembly is protected by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, we also know that non-toxic constructive dissent and agreement are the most important ingredient of democracy”.
He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had approved massive empowerment and employment schemes that would improve the lot of teeming youths and people, adding that Tinubu was not aloof to the problems but had shown concern as a listening President. In the meantime, the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egebtokun on Sunday clarified his earlier call on the protesters to submit their identities to assist the police in providing security, while reacting to an allegations on national television by an activist, Deji Adeyanju that the police was flouting the constitution by that request.
Force Police Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi on Sunday replied Adeyanju, said, “The Nigeria Police Force hereby addresses the recent accusations made by one activist, Deji Adeyanju, and others via various fora, alleging that the IGP is attempting to rewrite the constitution by requesting the details of the organisers and leaders of the planned nationwide protests.
“It is essential to know who is planning the assembly (protests) in each state as allowing faceless groups to operate unchecked could jeopardise the peace and stability of the country, and leave us with pains, sorrows and tears as experienced in the 2020 violent EndSARS protests. If organised labour and other recognised bodies were involved, it would have provided a more structured and safer environment for such public protests.
“In this wise, requesting the details of protest organisers and their leaders and the schedules of their protests which include location, period, routes etc., is a standard procedure to facilitate effective communication, ensure the safety of all participants, and prevent any unlawful activities.”
“It is also vital for Deji Adeyanju to note that in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health; or to protect the rights and freedom of other persons as enshrined in Section 45 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, this request by the IGP is not out of place.”
Abdullahi Yusuf is a seasoned journalist, communicator and was previously the Deputy Editor-In-Chief and Zonal Manager, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Jos, where he retired on December 15, 2021
Amos Okioma is a Correspondent at THEWILL
