Mission accomplished, time to go, CDHR tells protesters

One of the foremost civil society organisations in the country, the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), has admonished organisers of the #EndBadGovernance nationwide protest not to overstay their welcome.

The CDHR President, Mr. Debo Adeniran, while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, said that the protest had already achieved its purpose, even before it started.

“The protest has achieved its purpose even before today, only that the objective of bringing people together as desired must be actualized and demonstrated; that is what is going on.

“As we can see, it has been very peaceful except in Bauchi, where we learned that the security agencies dispersed the protesters and this is bad and undemocratic.

“This kind of confrontation can lead to resistance.

“The government has been forced to backpedal on some of its policies affecting livelihood.

“Government has also known now, that there is a limit to how people can play deaf and dumb while suffering,” the human rights activist said.

Adeniran, also Executive Director of the Centre for Anti-Corruption Leadership (CACOL), urged government across all levels to also think of the ordinary people in whatever policies and programmes are being carried out.

He said that the people deserved to be carried along in all things and their interests should be taken as a priority.

“If you are doing something that has not yet materialised, let the people know what exactly you are doing; the gestation period, what the outcome will be and how it will benefit majority of the people.

“I believe that the protesters will not unnecessarily out-step their boundaries or overstay their welcome.

“They should just do it one day and get to their various places, review and re-strategise.

“They cannot achieve anything better than what they have achieved before today. They have also stamped their resolve by coming together today. This is enough.

“They have driven home their points, they should not overstay their welcome,” he reiterated.

Adeniran urged governments across all levels to always be transparent, accountable, open and responsive, considering the level of impoverishment among the people.

“Things that will affect people ‘s economy, livelihood and personal substainance like fuel, food items and electricity should not be the target of the government when it needs money.

“The government should rather, use other means or go after those who have stolen the nation’s resources and recover them.

“The increase in the cost of essential services as a result of pump price hike and electricity tariffs had affected the livelihood of Nigerians.

“Subsidy should be reversed on petroleum products, electricity reformed to ensure transparency, so that people will enjoy the benefits of governance.

“Economy and roads should be fixed for people to breathe well. These are some of the things people cannot do on their own, causing tension,” Adeniran said.

He said that Nigerians must not suffer to get some essential services and products.

According to him, subsidy can be well managed,

“It (subsidies) happens everywhere, even on loaves of bread and other products. All these, if well managed, will end agitation, rebellion and anarchy”.

NAN reports that businesses, markets, roads and parks had been shutdown in some parts of Lagos due to the much-publicised protest.

The protest, which is planned to end on Aug. 10, is aimed at drawing the attention of the Federal Government to the hardship faced by citizens.