FG, protesters must talk, says NBA

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called on both the federal government, organisers, proponents and supporters of the planned nationwide protest to call off the protest, come together for a frank and sincere discussion on what must be done to immediately begin to turn around the plight of the people for good.

In a statement made available to newsmen on Monday, the outgoing President of the NBA, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau, SAN said, mechanisms should be put in place for government and people’s engagement on a regular basis.

In the statement titled, “Our call on government and appeal to the people of Nigeria on the planned Nationwide protest”, Maikyau said, timelines for certain specific actions should be put in place and implemented as the circumstances dictate.

The NBA boss called on members of the National and State Houses of Assembly to immediately engage with their constituents based on the plans of Government at the federal and subnational levels to address the demands of the people.

“We further recommend that a National Security Summit be convened, where serving and retired military, police, intelligence, and other law enforcement officers will assemble to reexamine our security situation, proffer workable solutions and implementation strategies.

“Traditional institutions and religious leaders should be co-opted and given specific tasks in this regard. Civil society organisations should be engaged at all levels of the proposed dialogue and in the monitoring of the implementation of the decisions that may be reached”, the statement said.

The NBA also called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to, as a matter of urgency, announce deadlines for specific fundamental economic steps to be taken towards economic recovery.

This, the association said, will enable all stakeholders to assess the performance of government in regard to the promises it has made and become a basis to hold government accountable to the people.

The statement also charged the Tinubu administration to show commitment to diversification of the economy and stressed the need to deal with the security challenges facing the country, as there cannot be economic growth amid rampant insecurity, adding that, economic activities nationwide are presently grinding to a halt because of the threat of bandits, terrorists, and criminals.

On 12 June 2024, as part of the 2024 Democracy Day celebrations, the NBA issued a statement where it drew Government’s attention to the challenges in the economy and the plight of the people.

“There is no gainsaying that Nigerians are passing through hardship on account of the mismanagement of our resources by successive administrations in this Country. Notwithstanding, it is the responsibility of this Government led by President to proffer solutions to our challenges.

“After all, government is a continuum. There is need for more energy, focus and purposefulness to be injected in certain areas of this administration; to compliment the work and efforts from other quarters to achieve a holistic delivery of the benefits this administration intends for Nigerians.

“Government actions must elicit the confidence that, sooner than later, the sufferings will cease, as that is the only way to make the sacrifices worth the while. Nigerians should be able to see light at the end of the tunnel, and I am confident that with the right deployment of resources (human and material), under a purposeful supervision, this is achievable”, Maikyau stated.

He said, the fact that the insecurity and the economic hardship do not appear to be abating, it is not difficult to see that the call for the nationwide protest, rightly or wrongly, and the seeming heed to the call by some Nigerians, is simply a reaction to the prevailing hardship across the country.

Also, the fact that Nigerians are largely unaware of efforts by government, to salvage the situation, has no doubt, fueled the dissatisfaction of the people against government at all levels.

Nigerians, he said are a resilient and hardworking people, who deserve the respect of their leaders and that, understanding and true followership need to be reciprocated with purposeful leadership; Government has the responsibility of translating its purposefulness and sincerity into concrete benefits to the people.

He called on the President to evaluate the performance of his appointees with the view to injecting more energy into the administration and close all the loopholes that would not allow his sincerity to translate into tangible benefits to all Nigerians.

“Members of the three arms of Government, must be mindful of their conducts and ensure they do only such things that will be consistent with the sincerity of Government to deliver its programs and policies for the benefit of the people. There must not be any posturing that will appear to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians, giving our current economic realities”.

To the Protesters, the NBA President said, “This is not about protesters versus non-protesters, it is about our dear country Nigeria, and no more – there cannot be any interest greater than Nigeria. Truth is, we all are protesters in one way or the other.

“It is how we protest and where we express our protests that differ from person to person, or from one group of persons to the other. So, in essence, it is about all of us. I have also not set out to talk about the legality or otherwise of the planned protest. While the importance of conducting ourselves in a lawful and orderly manner cannot be overstated – representing our respect for the supremacy of the rule of law, my appeal is to our collective duty as Nigerians, to see to the peace and order in our country which is necessary to guarantee its existence.

“We must all remember that our individual and collective aspirations can only be realised if Nigeria remains in existence. Therefore, dissatisfied as we may be with the state of affairs, we must find reasons to exercise restraint/caution, by avoiding anything that could cost us our dear Country.

“We need to have Nigeria in place before we can fix the anomalies and challenges that confront us on a daily basis – the leadership, the economy, security, and our general wellbeing, are only relevant when we remain an entity – one indissoluble and indivisible Nigeria”.

According to him, strikes (as well as protests) come with considerable adverse economic consequences, including but not limited to work stoppages, reduced production related to lost workdays, stalled infrastructure projects, and delayed service delivery, often amounting to huge financial losses.

“It is against this background, that I most humbly appeal to Nigerians, particularly, those that have decided to embark on the planned street protest to have a rethink and take a second look at what could be the possible outcome of embarking on such exercise to our security, economy, and existence.

“Our past experiences with mass protest are that they are usually hijacked by unscrupulous elements who use the opportunity to commit heinous crimes and thus turn an otherwise peaceful protest into a riot. Whatever we are going through right now, cannot be compared to the experience of a civil unrest and the chaos that could ensue therefrom.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE