BY Babs Oyetoro and Segun Olarenwaju with agency reports
Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has called on security agents to be tactical in the handling of the ongoing protests, to avoid fatalities as he made tremendous contributions to the ongoing protests that have engulfed the nation since last week.
Soyinka made the call in a statement yesterday while reacting to President Bola Tinubu’s address to the nation.
The Nobel laureate and global literature icon particularly cautioned against unprofessional conduct that could hurt protesters “who are merely asking for bread”.
According to him, a hard approach to the protests could lead to “more desperate upheavals”.
“My primary concern, quite predictably, is the continuing deterioration of the state’s seizure of protest management, an area in which the presidential address fell conspicuously short.
“Such short-changing of civic deserving, regrettably, goes to arm the security forces in the exercise of impunity and condemns the nation to a seemingly unbreakable cycle of resentment and reprisals.
“Live bullets as state response to civic protest – that becomes the core issue.
“Even tear gas remains questionable in most circumstances; using it is certainly an abuse in situations of clearly peaceful protest.
“Hunger marches constitute a universal S.O.S, not peculiar to the Nigerian nation.
“They belong, indeed, in a class of their own, never mind the collateral claims emblazoned on posters.
“They serve as summons to governance that a breaking point has been reached and, thus, a testing ground for governance awareness of public desperation,” he said.
Soyinka said the tragic response to the hunger marches in parts of the country constituted a retrogression that took the nation backward.
“It took us even further back than the deadly culmination of the watershed ‘Endsars’ protests.
“It evokes pre-independence – that is, colonial – acts of disdain, a passage that induced the late sage pioneer Hubert Ogunde’s folk opera ‘Bread and Bullets’, earning that nationalist serial persecution and proscription by the colonial government,” he said.
He said that the nation’s security agencies should explore alternative models for security intervention.
Soyinka said that time was long overdue to abandon, permanently, what he called the “anachronistic resort to lethal means”.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that President Tinubu had, in a nationwide address, urged protesters to embrace dialogue.
“Under the circumstances, I enjoin protesters and the organisers to suspend any further protest and create room for dialogue which I have always acceded to, at the slightest opportunity.
“Nigeria requires all hands-on deck and needs us all — regardless of age, party, tribe, religion or other divides – to work together in reshaping our destiny as a nation.
“To those who have taken undue advantage of this situation to threaten any section of this country, be warned,” he said.
According to Tinubu, the nation’s democracy progresses when the constitutional rights of every Nigerian are respected and protected.
“Our law enforcement agencies should continue to ensure the full protection of lives and properties of innocent citizens in a responsible manner,” he said. (NAN)
*Take urgent steps to stop further protests -Ohanaeze
Following his nationwide address on the ongoing protests over hardship, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has urged President Bola Tinubu, to find alternative ways to resolve some of the demands of the protesting youths to bring an end to demonstrations.
In a statement yesterday by its Secretary-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the organisation noted that there still exists a tense atmosphere occasioned by further threat of another anti-hunger nationwide protests between August 5th and 10th 2024.
The organisation, however, commended President Tinubu for his ‘courageous address’ to the nation, especially in wake of ‘#EndBadGovernance’ protests.
Ohanaeze stated that it had carefully studied President Tinubu’s broadcast yesterday, ”where he rolled out promising economic policies that could potentially address Nigeria’s economic challenges in the long run.
It added, ”While we acknowledge the potential of these economic policies, we are concerned about the immediate challenge of quelling the ongoing protests across the country.”
According to the statement, ‘’The protesters, along with their local sponsors and international conspirators, were eagerly awaiting for President Tinubu’s speech to strategise for more chaotic and violent protests, particularly in the North, South-West, and Niger Delta regions.
”It is clear that the reduction of fuel prices, or any other tangible concession, could have been a significant step towards pacifying the protesters and their sponsors,” the organisation noted.
It stated, ”We understand that President Tinubu needs time to implement his economic policies effectively. However, the urgency of the current situation cannot be overstated.
”The protesters and organisers may not have the patience to wait for these policies to materialise. Therefore, we urge President Tinubu to find alternative ways to address the demands of the protesters before it is too late.”
Isiguzoro emphasised the importance of the president taking swift action to prevent the escalation of the protests.
”We implore Tinubu to consider making a pronouncement, through his media aides, that addresses the demands of the protesters.
”This could potentially defuse the tension and pave the way for the implementation of his economic policies,” he said.
Ohanaeze also called on Tinubu to summon his resolve and address the grievances of the protesters promptly.
”A timely response from the president could save our democracy and provide the necessary breathing space for the implementation of his economic agenda.
”Let us work together to ensure peace and progress in our beloved nation,” the statement concluded.
*Organised civil society ready for dialogue-Okunniyi
The United Action Front of Civil Society (UAFCS) says the organised civil society is ready for dialogue with the Federal Government on the ongoing nationwide protest and the challenges in the country.
Mr Olawale Okunniyi, Head, Coordinating Secretariat of UAFCS, who said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos yesterday, stated that civil society groups would honour government’s invitation for talks on addressing citizens’ concerns.
NAN reports that the President in his broadcast yesterday called for suspension of all protests to create room for dialogue
Tinubu reiterated his government’s commitment to addressing the concerns of citizens.
NAN reports that the protest, which started on Thursday, crippled socio-economic activities across the states.
Reacting to the president’s broadcast, Okunniyi said that organised civil society had always been open to dialogue, which he described as an important tool of conflict resolution.
He said: “The organised civil society is open to dialogue, and we will respond to dialogue if we are invited by the president.
“We have never refused dialogue because it is an avenue to discuss issues and find ways to resolve the issues and challenges in the country.
“This is because we know that what will prevail is superior opinion or argument “Okunniyi said he was optimistic that the government would begin to reach out to the leaders of the protest.
According to him, every Nigerian should work for the country’s peace and prosperity.
Okunniyi, however, said the protest would not have taken place if civil society groups and government had engaged in dialogue.
He said: “During former president Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, we had several discussions with him, which yielded positive results.
“However, we were shut out completely during the immediate past president tenure despite the fact that his government was brought in by the civil society.”
Okunniyi, however, urged the federal government to properly identify groups championing the cause of the masses in order not to hold talks with the wrong people.
He urged government to take immediate steps to reduce prices of basic items like food.
Okunniyi also called on the government to tackle insecurity, which he said had affected farming activities in the north, pushing up food prices. (NAN)
