Senior lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, representing some organizers of the planned hardship protest, has appealed to the protesters to limit the duration of their demonstration to one day or a maximum of three days.
The #EndBadGovernance protests, which have gained significant traction on social media, are scheduled to take place from August 1 to 10.
In a statement on Wednesday, Adegboruwa urged the protesters to remain orderly and peaceful as they take to the streets on Thursday in locations previously communicated to the police.
“In the past few days, we have facilitated dialogue with law enforcement and security agencies. The Inspector-General of Police’s insistence on ‘credible intelligence’ of planned violence confirms the government’s desperation to thwart the protests by sponsoring hooligans and thugs to disrupt them, which is currently happening in many parts of Lagos State,” Adegboruwa stated.
He continued, “I appeal for the protests to be orderly and peaceful and to take place in the locations already communicated to the police. Additionally, reduce the duration of the protests to one day or a maximum of three days, and then suspend them. Make your demands known to the government and allow time for them to be addressed. I am confident in your capacity to conduct the protests as intended, with the support and prayers of the majority of our people. However, let us allow for more dialogue. I offer to join you in this effort anytime.
“I make this appeal in the interest of peace, progress, and tranquillity for our dear nation,” he added.
Adegboruwa also warned security agencies against using bullets, making arbitrary arrests, and deploying the military. “The law recognizes the right to peaceful protests while mandating the police to protect unarmed civilians during their demonstrations. Let no single bullet be fired tomorrow, let there be no arbitrary and unlawful arrests of citizens, and let there be no deployment of the military to handle engagements. The protesters are our children and citizens. They do not deserve bullets and crackdowns.”
Adegboruwa further advised President Bola Tinubu and his team to immediately reverse the policies of oil subsidy removal and currency devaluation. He argued that these policies have crippled the economy and plunged Nigeria into its worst economic crisis. He also emphasized the need for the President to end government wastefulness stemming from lavish lifestyles of functionaries.
“How can the President buy a new jet, and the Vice-President renovate his house with N21B, while the people are expected to suffer? How do you expand your wealth and luxuries and then preach to the people to tighten their belts? President Tinubu must end all forms of bad governance, such as spending billions on religious pilgrimages while offering pittance to students as loans,” he questioned.