The Coalition of Civil Societies in the country on Tuesday (today, July 30) vowed to press on with the nationwide planned protest despite threats from some official quarters.
The joint coalition made of nine civil groups at a briefing in Lagos stated that there is no going back on the proposed protest and disclosed the starting point in Lagos at Ikeja.
The groups stated: “We repeat that the protest is a peaceful one. Therefore we warn anyone coming with the intention to foment violence including arson and destruction to stay clear of the protest.
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We also warn the police, DSS and security agencies not to deploy their agents to infiltrate our protest with the aim of fomenting trouble in order to blame it on us later.
“Some have asked whether all of Nigeria’s problems will be solved by this protest. Many have said that it takes more than ten days of protest to solve the socio-economic ills plaguing our nation. We agree with these arguments but we think that this protest is a first and necessary step.
“This is because it has become clear over the years that no section of Nigeria’s capitalist elite have the solution to the problems. This time the solution has to come from the Nigerian masses themselves, which is why during this protest, Nigerian youth and poor masses must have the necessary democratic discussion about what kind of Nigeria we want.
“For us in this coalition, we consider that the fundamental reason Nigeria is in this mess is capitalism – a socio economic system that makes a few people rich at the expense of the mass majority. This is why this coalition calls for a system change – that is a new Nigeria where the wealth of the country will be used primarily to make life better for its people instead of enriching a few.”
Among the coalition are the Joint Action Front (JAF), PRP Vanguard, Yoruba Revolutionary Movement (YOREM), Amilcar Cabral Ideological School Movement (ACIS-M), Youth Rights Campaign (YRC), Movement for African Emancipation (MAE), Education Rights Campaign (ERC), Precision, Electrical, and Related Equipment Senior Staff Association (PERESSA) and Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights (CDWR).
The coalition announced its support for the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest, insisting that the protest would take place in Lagos state like other parts of the country on Thursday, August 1, 2024.
“We call on all youth, students, unemployed, workers, traders and all those who are affected by the condition of hunger and hardship to join us. The peaceful protest will be held according to the following schedule, take- off point at Ikeja under Bridge, Lagos State,” they added.
They demanded the reversal of fuel price to pre-May 29, 2023 level, reversal of electricity tariff to pre-May 29, 2023 level, end to hardship and hunger, recall victimized activists, including free all #EndSARS detainees.
Other demands are an end to school fee hike, place all political office holders on minimum wage, reverse anti-poor and neo-liberal capitalist policies, fix public refineries and build new ones under democratic workers control and management, reverse privatization of public enterprises and place them under democratic control and management, end insecurity, police brutality and kidnapping, illegal demolition/forced evictions,creation of jobs and payment of unemployment benefits to the unemployed.
The groups’ demands also include the prosecution of corrupt politicians and return of stolen wealth, end security vote,
provision of free quality healthcare for all, end to attacks on press freedom and release of all political detainees including journalists and bloggers.
