The Arewa Consultative Forum has said that the existential condition of citizens, ostensibly the rationale behind the recent protests is dire and needs urgent attention and it will be a grave mistake to ignore.
The position of the forum was contained in a statement by Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, its National Publicity Secretary.
The ACF recalled that ahead of the August 2024, planned 10-day national protest, “the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) had raised fears and warned against the action fearing its potential to lead to the breakdown of law and order.”
“Ultimately, protests took place in several locations nationwide, and after the expiry of the protest dates, a postmortem is now in order and some preliminary conclusions are raised as follows: The protests took place mostly in large urban centres, 1st and 2nd August 2024, but did not last the 10-day plan (as ACF predicted); where it took place, the protest resulted in near generalised social disorder.”
“The actions and behaviour displayed by the protesters of the poorly organised protests went far beyond permissible or reasonable limits and negated even the nebulously conceptualised reasons given by the faceless organisers of the action. The looting, arson, vandalism and general brigandage were inexcusable; as was the waving of the Russian flag inexplicable and unequivocally condemnable.”
“Predictably, locations in Northern Nigeria were particularly hit by such negative outcomes. It is inescapable that over time and especially in the last 14 months of the current political administration in Nigeria, there has developed generalised discontent, frustration, anger and disillusionment in the polity regarding the trajectory of public policy planning and implementation. These have been obvious in the behaviour of protesters or those who looked on mutely.”
The ACF explained that the existential conditions of citizens, ostensibly, the rationale behind the protests are dire and need urgent attention; and it will be a grave mistake to ignore this.”Far too many citizens lack education, access to health facilities, economic opportunities and basic necessities to live comfortable or bearable lives. Confounding the dire living conditions has been the challenges of insecurity in the country; and the Federal and state governments, as well as the security agencies responded to the well-advertised protests and, no less.”
“There has continued to be very inadequate response to the genuine calls for the alleviation of the current suffering of citizens, most inadequately disappointingly, even if, ab initio, the constitutional rights to express grievances through demonstrations and protests are put into view. In all the above, ACF has been vindicated in its earlier apprehension about the protests and is saddened by the turn of events. As Nigeria counts the sordid costs of the protests, ACF extends condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of those that lost lives; commiserates with the injured and sympathizes with those whose properties were looted or damaged during the protests.”
The ACF wished peaceful repose to the dead and, for the living, stoic resilience, full recovery and quick return to normalcy; and urged calm on the part of citizens living with frayed nerves as they certainly struggle to move on.
ACF announced that the intention to engage the general public in consultations about the current trajectory of public policy as announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his national broadcast in reaction to the protests should take place immediately.
“Such consultations ought to be well-organised and purpose-driven to include representatives of the people, community-based organisations, interest groups, professional and trade associations; regional interests groups, religious clergy; etc; and calls on public officials, including elected representatives, to shun ostentatious lifestyles, attitudes and insensitive utterances, in their comportment and management of public resources.”
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“Inescapably, these negative virtues largely contribute to the ordinary citizens’ widespread despair, disaffection, dissatisfaction, and anger and/or the resort to brigandage.”
ACF “urges robust and dynamic engagement between citizens and government, including representatives of the people, on the direction of public policies, calls for the entrenchment of the principles of accountability and good governance by government at all levels;
calls for a reinvigorated and robust anti-corruption drive by local, state and federal governments, away from the ..feeble and cosmetic efforts in this regard; and welcomes the dissociation from any involvement in the protests through the use of the flag of Russia by the country’s Embassy in Nigeria. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
