Some angry Nigerians have planned a 10-day nationwide protest to demand an improvement in Nigeria’s economic situation and a reversal of some government policies, particularly the removal of petrol subsidies.
According to them, the protests are expected to commence on Thursday, August 1, 2024.
As part of efforts to address the concerns, President Bola Tinubu has met with various stakeholders including traditional and religious leaders. He has called on the youths to shelve the protest.
Leaders across various sectors are also advocating for peaceful solutions and proactive government action to address the underlying issues driving the protests while avoiding further economic and social turmoil.
Some Nigerians have also called for restraint, as security agencies warn protesters not to go overboard and that they should prevent the protests from turning violent.
In their various arguments, the campaigners believe that protests serve as a vital mechanism for holding leaders accountable and ensuring that government actions reflect the people’s will and needs.
They argue that history has shown that protests can lead to significant changes in government policies, processes and practices, highlighting the power of collective action to address grievances and promote good governance.
While the right to protest is a fundamental principle of democratic nations, the organisers concede that such protest must be exercised peacefully and responsibly without violating the rights of others.
We also concur that protest is a legitimate form of expression enshrined in international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended), among others.
It allows citizens to publicly voice their concerns, challenge injustices, and participate actively in the democratic process.
Specifically, Section 41(1) of the 1999 Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of movement. Besides, peaceful strikes, lockouts, non-violent positive actions and others are well-known legitimate weapons of expression in a democracy.
However, there is still the pervasive fear that the planned protest may be infiltrated by hoodlums and hijacked, and hence degenerate into violence.
A 10-day shutdown of the economy would lead to a significant financial loss.
The oil sector alone could lose $5 million daily, with additional impacts on the informal sector.
Already, Nigeria has a soaring inflation rate. Any further disruption would exacerbate the situation.
Indeed, some have labeled the proposed demonstration an orchestrated effort to create fear, panic and anarchy in the polity. Citing the 2020 ENDSARS protests which were marred by widespread violence, and the recent Kenyan protests, which led to the death of dozens of protesters, several critical stakeholders remain uneasy, even after some of the groups have reportedly developed cold feet and dropped out of the proposed demonstrations.
Many Nigerians do not know the objective of the protesters and how they intend to actualise it. But more Nigerians agree that there is anger in the land, owing to a harsh economy.
However, a public protest under the prevailing situation in Nigeria today could easily be hijacked by hoodlums, and when that happens, it is the same poor people on whose behalf the protesters claim to be fighting that would bear the brunt.
“From past experiences, violent protests undermine the very causes they seek to advance, eroding public support and escalating harm to innocent individuals.”
We call on the youths to shun violent protests and embrace peaceful dialogue among citizens and stakeholders.
Violent protests and demonstrations only lead to further division and destruction. They hinder our progress as a nation and undermine the efforts of those striving for positive change.
Instead, we should conduct ourselves in a peaceful manner, respecting the rights and dignity of every individual.
Our actions today will shape the Nigeria of tomorrow, and it is our responsibility to ensure that we leave behind a legacy of peace and unity for the younger generations.
From past experiences, violent protests undermine the very causes they seek to advance, eroding public support and escalating harm to innocent individuals.
The core of effective advocacy lies in peaceful, constructive dialogue, not in aggression and destruction.
Violence often shifts the focus away from the legitimate grievances being voiced, creating opportunities for opponents to discredit and dismiss the movement.
While we urge the Federal Government to go beyond words and swing into real action in developing workable and lasting solutions to Nigeria’s economic problems, we appeal to families to dissuade their children from resorting to violent protests, as violence cannot be used to seek progress.
Positive developments such as the signing of the minimum wage and local government autonomy laws by the Federal Government are indications of good intentions on the side of the government.
Additionally, we suggest gradual adjustments to fuel prices and debt servicing as potential measures to ease public frustration and stabilise the current tough situation.
We also urge the government to swiftly form a committee for discussions similar to those with labour unions to avoid the negative impacts seen in other countries like Kenya.
The government should look at ways of bringing down the cost of fuel as every activity, including transportation, power supply, agriculture, pumping of water for irrigation, food processing are dependent on fuel. Addressing this will therefore have a positive multiplier effect on the economy.
We are calling on the demonstrators to give the government a chance to look into the situation and find solutions to the issues on ground so that the government can adequately address issues like youth unemployment, inflation, insecurity and other socio-economic ills.
The people have the right to protest, no doubt, but as things stand in the country today, it is better for Nigerians to give the current administration more time to address major concerns and wait to give a verdict with their votes in 2027.
