Adoption of 2014 Conference report panacea to EndSARS protests ― Braithwaite

A human rights activist and legal practitioner, Mr Olumide Braithwaite, on Wednesday called for total reformation of the Nigeria Police Force and restructuring of the country based on 2014 National Conference reports, saying taking such move would ease the suffering of the masses and serve a way out of the endless EndSARS protests across the country.

Braithwaite, who served as ones of the aides to his father, the late Dr Tunji Braithwaite, who was a delegate to the 2014 conference, said the adoption of utilitarian approach to address the demands of the protesters by restructuring the system of government was an easy way to address the problems confronting the country.

“Adoption of the 2014 National Conference report would ease the suffering of the masses,” he said.

Braithwaite made the call in a press release titled: “Things have just got to change,” signed by him in reaction to the EndSARS protests, warning that by allowing the continuation of the protests, the government was encouraging hoodlums to hijack the process and create crises in the country.

“Don’t let few bad eggs overshadow the predominantly hard-working majority of law enforcement personnel.

“Most of the people sponsoring this garbage in social media are the criminals themselves, who are trying to hide behind the protest and pass off as supposed clean individuals to create a crisis in the country,” he warned.

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The human rights activist, while noting that the protests would soon blow over, posited that the development was a mere distraction from the more serious issues facing the country, which he said revolved around the need to restructure the government and various ethnic regions.

“The 2014 Constitutional Conference in my humble opinion adequately accommodated the restructuring issues that continue to haunt this country.

“It is important for the government and National Assembly to now look into the report of that conference with the view towards adopting its recommendations.

“Indeed the need to review Federal Police in favour of regional police was also addressed in this report,” he said.

Speaking further, Braithwaite recalled that 10 years ago Nigerians took to the streets to protest removal of petrol subsidy, but sadly said not much had changed today, declaring the situation indeed was worse for the average citizen “in whichever direction you look.”

He said his late father, being a revolutionary would “be looking down from heaven at the youths of this country with his approval and zeal as they are taking their destiny in their hands because he fought tirelessly for their future.”

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE