The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and a host of prominent Nigerians have condemned the deployment of the military for the stoppage of protests in Lagos State.
The ACN described it as one of the most egregious and anti-democratic actions taken by President Goodluck Jonathan since assuming office.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the President even outdid the brutal military dictators of the past by using the military as an instrument to suppress a peaceful protest by unarmed citizens.
The statement said: “Whoever advised the President to take this path has done him a great disservice and ruined his democratic credentials, if ever he had any. Sending soldiers armed with assault rifles and backed by armoured tanks to intimidate and harass unarmed civilians has now exposed President Jonathan as a closet dictator.”
ACN said that the action also shows that Jonathan has lost touch with the same people whose support he earnestly sought when he was campaigning, and the same people who voted him into office only a few months back.
“Mr. President, as we said in our earlier intervention on this issue, the protests in Lagos these past few days have set a new standard in how the citizenry can engage in non-violent protest. It was so well organized and peaceful that people even came with their families, including young children, ethnicity, religion and other divisive tendencies were jettisoned in an unprecedented show of unity, while music was used effectively to reduce tension and create a carnival-like atmosphere.
“Even the policemen who daily shadowed the Gani Fawehinmi Park did not need to fire a single canister of teargas because there was no violence. This is the setting that the President, too alienated too soon from the people who elected him into office, decided to send battle-ready soldiers into. If the President was angered into taking a wrong action by the verbal jabs thrown at him by speakers at the park, then he needs a lesson in democratic governance.
“We condemn the tactless and unnecessary show of force in Lagos, and will like to remind Mr. President that it is only a government that has run out of ideas on how to engage its people on issues, no matter how vexing, that will resort to the use of force to suppress them. A government that claims to exercise sovereignty on behalf of the people cannot treat the same people as enemies to be shooed off streets and parks by fierce-looking soldiers.”
In a related development, prominent Nigerians operating on the platform of the Civil Societies of Nigeria also condemned the invasion of Lagos streets by armed military personnel.
The prominent Nigerian,s including Prof. Ben Nwabueze, Dr. Tunji Braithwaithe, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu and Prof. Pat Utomi, said they were shocked by the action of Jonathan.
They said in the statement: “This was done in an apparent bid to stop the freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association of citizens as guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution. Over the last eight days, Nigerians in their millions all over the country, have been peacefully demanding that, as a very basic minimum, the Federal Government should revert the price of petrol to N65.00 and enter into negotiations with representatives of civil society and Labour to work on achieving a framework for deregulation.”
They also added that they remain against the withdrawal of subsidy on petrol, adding, “We reject the removal of the “purported” fuel subsidy and the unilateral imposition of N97.00 (ninety seven naira) as the pump price of petrol. We dissociate from the decision of Labour to call off the national strike against the removal of fuel subsidy and thereby withdraw their members from the mass action being carried out by Nigerian citizens. We wish to emphasize that contrary to Labour’s claim, civil society was not consulted in the decisions leading up to this unacceptable position by Labour. Nigerians feel betrayed by Labour’s decision to call off the strike without achieving their minimum demand of reverting to N65.00 (sixty five naira).
“We call on Nigerians to remain peaceful but resolute in the fight against corruption, wastage, and fraudulent cum incompetent management of our resources. Corruption is the principal cause of underdevelopment in Nigeria. We must continue to ask for transparency, accountability and good governance.”
The group is billed to address the press tomorrow at midday.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
