A group of intelligentsia has urged Nigerians to observe monthly sit-at-home to protest leadership failure at all levels of government.
The experts made the call at a webinar titled “Nigeria at Crossroad – Way Forward Out of our Mental Slavery”.
A communique was issued at the end of the discourse organized by the Nigerian Global Roundtable.
It was signed by Barr. Dele Farotimi, Prof. Hope Eghagha, Engr. Alexander Neyin, Dr Akin. Fapohunda, Ms. Oti Ayenbi and Dr. Jones Edobor.
The participants said governors must be held accountable for the lack of development in their respective states.
They want state and federal lawmakers to be challenged and, where necessary, recalled for placing party interests above the people they represent.
The statement charged Nigerians to participate “in a monthly sit-at-home protest, say every last Friday, to shut down economic activities until the government takes our yearnings for restructuring and resource control seriously”.
It stressed that the only way to curtail election rigging and usher in people who have people’s interests at heart is to introduce electronic voting and transmission.
The citizens said Nigeria as agreed upon by founding fathers and stipulated in the 1963 constitution “died” since and must be renegotiated.
They advised those calling for restructuring to synergize better and enlighten the people about their mission to free them from the stranglehold of the elites and politicians.
“The police need to be sensitized that when they protect the interest of the people and not politicians, they are protecting their own interests and that of their unborn generations.
“The fundamentals of democracy are the rights to protest, associate and to free expression. Current rulers have to realize that power is transient and should learn to listen to Nigerians,” it said.
The communique condemned the “North-South dichotomy” and the perceived dominance of the security apparatus by persons from a section of the country.
“History must be reintroduced to the school curriculum. People who do not know their history are likely to repeat past mistakes. Resources should only be directed to initiatives that impact on the welfare of the masses”, it added.
