By Emman Ovuakporie
Hon Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, a top-ranking member of the Federal Legislature representing Ukwa East-West Federal Constituency of Abia State on Sunday said #EndSars could have been averted if Nigeria had a procedural petition system to handle sensitive issues.
TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports Nkem-Abonta stating that if there was a digital process captured under procedural petition indicating that once a petition has been signed by 100,000 Nigerians online, National Assembly should consider it a matter of national importance.
“The petition process will entail a situation whereby it’s signed with their BVN numbers and once such signatures are up to 100,000 or 1million there should be a legislative intervention to address the malady.
“If we had such a process in place, there will be no need for massive demonstrations as we experienced during the #EndSars protests that claimed so many innocent lives across Nigeria.
“And nobody will hit the streets to protest because there’s a digital petition procedure to address grievances.
“In civilised climes we have such procedural petitions although this process will not affect the traditional legislative petition process that we have in place.
“It’s happening in the US and other countries, once 100000 persons have signed with their names the matter should be treated with all seriousness and given the status of national importance without delay.
“I have a Bill on this and it has been filed for deliberation because if this was in place, no life would have been lost during the #Endsars protests and Nigerians can use it to recall their members too.