A foremost civil society organization, the Center for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address Nigerians on the #EndBadGovernance and #Hunger protest which is currently ongoing across the nation.
Comrade Mulade Sheriff, 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 in order to avoid been hijacked by hoodlums.
CEPEJ said that while citizens are free to protest as it is a fundamental constitutional right of every citizen with the responsibility to obey laws of the land, further stated 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 the President Bola Ahmed 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, but 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 in order to avoid reoccurrence that may be devastate the country.
The Center sympathise with families and friends who have lost their beloved ones and properties during the ongoing nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest.
He said, “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’s is worthy of note that hunger has no boundaries neither respect for religious or tribes. The government should be more proactive rather than reactive,” he appealed.
