The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called for caution in relation to the protest being planned by some groups and urged those behind it to have a rethink.
In a statement on Monday, NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) said it was not the time to debate whether or not the planned protest was lawful or desirable, but for everyone to act in the interest of the country and its people.
“I must begin by making it clear that, this is not about ‘protester’ versus ‘non-protesters,’ it is about our dear country Nigeria, and no more — there cannot be any interest greater than Nigeria.
“Truth is, all are protesters in one way or the other. It is how we protest and where we express our protests that differ from person to person, or from one group of persons to the other.
“So, in essence, it is about all of us. I have also not set out to talk about the legality or otherwise of the planned protest.
“While the importance of conducting ourselves in a lawful and orderly manner cannot be overstated – representing our respect for the supremacy of the rule of law, my appeal is to our collective duty as Nigerians, to see to the peace and order in our country which is necessary to guarantee its existence.
“We must all remember that our individual and collective aspirations can only be realised if Nigeria remains in existence.
“Therefore, dissatisfied as we may be with the state of affairs, we must find reasons to exercise restraint/caution, by avoiding anything that could cost us our dear country.
“We aced to have Nigeria in place before we can fix the anomalies and challenges that confront us on a daily basis — the leadership, the economy, security, and our general wellbeing, are only relevant when we remain an entity — one indissoluble and indivisible Nigeria,” Maikyau said.
The NBA president expressed confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s sincerity and commitment to addressing the nation’s challenges but questioned the integrity of some of his appointees.
He urged the federal government to implement measures for effectively communicating its activities to the public.
Maikyau observed that the widespread calls for protest are fueled by the country’s harsh economic and security conditions, which the government has seemingly failed to address.
He added: “Given the fact that the insecurity and the economic hardship do not appear to be abating, it is not difficult to see that the call for the nationwide protest, rightly or wrongly, and the seeming heed to the call by some Nigerians, is simply a reaction to the prevailing hardship across the country.
“Also, the fact that Nigerians are largely unaware of efforts by government to salvage the situation, has no doubt, fueled the dissatisfaction of the people against government at all levels.
“Nigerians need to be convinced of the sincerity of government in taking us out of this quagmire.
“The efforts by government in dealing with the present economic hardship must be communicated to Nigerians at all levels in simple terms, accompanied by tangible interventions that will provide the necessary succour to alleviate our sufferings in the immediate, while giving us reasons upon which to place our hopes and general aspirations in the long term, for improved welfare and standard of living.
“Nigerians are a resilient and hardworking people, who deserve the respect of their leaders. Understanding and true followership need to be reciprocated with purposeful leadership; government has the responsibility of translating its purposefulness and sincerity into concrete benefits to the people.
“While in the few time that I had the opportunity of engaging with Mr. President. his sincerity in dealing with the affairs of this nation and achieving amongst others, his promise to take majority of Nigerians from poverty to prosperity is quite palpable.
“It is however doubtful if there is a robust understanding or alignment by some of Mr President’s appointees with this noble resolve, towards achieving the renewed hope agenda.
“It is therefore important that Mr President undertakes an evaluation of the performance of his appointees with the view to injecting more energy into the administration and close all the loopholes that would not allow the sincerity of Mr President to translate into tangible benefits to all Nigerians.
“We all, as Nigerians, must quit playing politics with the hives and welfare of the people. We must resort to measures devoid of any political, ethnic,religious. regional and other primordial sentiments in order to guarantee our exit from the myriads of challenges that we now deal with as a people.
“The members of the three arms of Government, must be mindful of their conducts and ensure they do only such things that will be consistent with the sincerity of Government to deliver its programs and policies for the benefit of the people.
“There must not be any posturing that will appear to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians, giving our current economic realities,” Maikyau said.
The NBA President, while appealing to those behind the protest to allow reason prevail, said Nigerians should be cautious not to play into the hands of those who do not wish the country well.
He added: “Without trivialising the seriousness of our challenges and experiences and the corresponding right of the people to express their dissatisfaction with the current state of the affairs, I would be complacent to think or assume that our detractors and naysayers may not either be interested in the planned protest or are directly instigating and encouraging the same.
“It is against this background, that I most humbly appeal to Nigerians, particularly, those that have decided to embark on the planned street protest to have a rethink and take a second look at what could be the possible outcome of embarking on such exercise to our security, economy, and existence.
“Our past experiences with mass protest are that they are usually hijacked by unscrupulous elements who use the opportunity to commit heinous crimes and thus tum an otherwise peaceful protest into a riot.
Difficult as it is, this is the time to sit back and allow the voice of reason to prevail. The voices we hear and hearken to will determine our actions/reactions and the consequences therefrom.
“We must be careful about those we lend our ears to. Not everyone who speaks to the issues we are dealing with does so for altruistic purposes. Many have their selfish pursuits, while some others are simply waiting to cash in on the protest to unleash mayhem on the people, our properties and the country as a whole.
“Unknowingly, some of us have become ready tools in the hands of these detractors with sinister motives, who do not mind the collapse of our nation.
“Whatever we are going through right now cannot be compared to the experience of a civil unrest and the chaos that could ensue therefrom.
“Needless to mention nations that are currently going through wars with the attendant carnage and destructions. We do not even want to imagine what the experience would be and we must forbid it.
“My humble call and appeal, therefore, to both government, the organisers and/or proponents and supporters of the planned protest is to call off the protest, come together for a frank and sincere discussion on what must be done to immediately begin to turn around the plight of the people for good.
“Mechanisms should be put in place for government/people engagement on a regular periodic basis. Timelines for certain specific actions should be put in place and implemented as the circumstances dictate.
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“We call on members of the National and State Houses of Assembly to immediately engage with their constituents based on the plans of government at the federal and subnational levels to address the demands of the people.
“We further recommend that a national security summit be convened, where serving and retired military, police, intelligence and other law enforcement officers will assemble to reexamine our security situation, proffer workable solutions and implementation strategies.
“Traditional institutions and religious leaders should be co-opted and given specific tasks in this regard. Civil society organisations should be engaged at all levels of the proposed dialogue and in the monitoring of the implementation of the decisions that may be reached,” the NBA president said.