IS PROTEST THE WAY TO GO?

Unity and faith, peace and progress- progress no longer seems to be the watch word in Nigeria as the economic situation in Nigeria seems to be deteriorating especially as momentum continues to gather ahead of the planned nationwide protest titled ‘End bad Governanace’, set to take place on the 1st of August 2024.

Some organizers of the protest who were previously classified as ‘faceless’ have exposed their identities and these organisations, totalling at least 20, have announced that they will take to the streets to protest the current hardship, hunger, and lousy administration and the organisations have also written to at least 20 state governments, requesting permission to utilise public facilities to perform their civic duty.

Nigerians have a constitutional right to peaceful demonstrations and protest and citizens have decided to make their voices as they march peacefully through various locations. A couple of bodies and even governors have said that they would not be participating in the protest and one of such bodies is the National Youth Service Corps.

The National Youth Service Corps through the director general has said that all corpers are not permitted to join in on any peaceful protest as it is against the NYSC policy.Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has also declared that the planned nationwide hardship protest against the current administration will not be held in the Territory because August 1, 2024, the protest date, has been set aside to honour FCT traditional rulers.

Although, ahead of the nationwide protest, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command has deployed a total of 4,200 policemen across the nooks and crannies of the nation’s capital.The command also announced the deployment of explosive ordnance device experts at various strategic locations. The command’s spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, stated that the deployment aims to ensure public safety, protect protesters, and prevent hijacking by non-state actors. The deployment will include raids on black spots, unfinished.

Meanwhile, ahead of the #EndBadGovernance protests scheduled to commence on the 1st of August 2024, the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria has urged Nigerians to consider alternative means of expressing their grievances to the government. This was contained in a statement signed by the CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, who asked the protest groups to rather use the period to explore legal avenues, to avoid a hijack of the protests by hoodlums, adding that dialogue, town hall meetings, and petitions were viable means that could yield positive results.

It is no news that the hardship and difficult economic situation in Nigeria have gotten a lot worse and the citizens are finding it harder to cope with the economic situation. Even in the midst of all of these it is important to ask if the protest is coming at the right time and if the protest would yield more negative than positive results.