Foremost civil society organisation in Nigeria, the Center for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to address Nigerians on the #EndBadGovernance and #Hunger protest which is currently ongoing across the nation.
Comrade Sheriff Mulade, the National Coordinator of CEPEJ made the call in Abuja, while calling on protesters to stay within the law and directives of the court for the interests of peace to avoid being hijacked by hoodlums.
CEPEJ stated that while citizens are free to protest, it is a fundamental constitutional right of every citizen with the responsibility to obey laws of the land, adding that more than 80 percent of Nigerians are indirectly involved in the nationwide protest because of hunger and hardship.
Going forward, the Center said it is not ignorant of the fact that President Bola Tinubu in his one year in office has signed the 2023 Electricity Bill into Law; Unification of the Naira; Fuel Subsidy Removal; Tax and Fiscal Reforms Committee; Local Government Financial autonomy into law among others.
It however, appealed to President Tinubu to wade into the issues raised by Nigerians by addressing the protesters on the modality to end hunger and suffering of the masses.
The Center also urged the President to set up a joint-stakeholders committee to address issues raised by Nigerian protesters with a timeline to implement solutions to the issues raised to avoid reoccurrence that may devastate the country.
The Center sympathized with families and friends who have lost their loved ones and properties during the ongoing nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest.
“We urged Federal, State and Local Government to ensure that Nigerians enjoy dividend of democracy and good governance as well as address the cost of governance in Nigeria to avoid continuous protest that may blow into full protest/crisis.
“We want to draw the attention of Mr. President that over 80% of Nigerians are indirectly involved in the protest, not just the few protesters on the streets.
“We therefore urge Mr. President to urgently take steps immediately to avoid immense danger in the country. It is worthy of note that hunger has no boundaries nor respect for religion or tribes. The government should be more proactive rather than reactive,” the group appealed.
