By Adadareporters
The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has cautioned the federal government and its security agencies against the use of force and violence to stop or observe the nationwide hunger protests by Nigerian youths to express their dissatisfaction against some harsh government policies.
CLO stated this in a release signed by its Executive Director, Comrade Ibuchukwu Ohabuenyi Ezike. CLO further appealed to the protesters to be peaceful and conduct themselves and activities in absolutely lawful manners. The group recalled that the ENDSARS national protests staged by the youth across the country few years ago turned violent and bloody arising from the untoward behaviour of overzealous security officers.
The release read, “CLO maintains that protests across the world are legitimate and democratic expressions by the citizens against their governments in the event of implementation of wicked, heinous and anti-people policies that affect the people. In Nigeria, things have fallen apart and the centre can no longer hold. Nigerian families are starving. Brilliant pupils have been withdrawn from schools because of poverty and increasing cost of quack education. Graduates who left schools over ten years ago roam the streets without jobs with their flamboyant certificates. Our people die like fowls because of lack of quality hospitals, trained personnel and fake drugs while those in government run to overseas countries to treat malaria and headaches.
“Similarly, they have hitherto sold good and well-working national institutions and corporations like the Nigerian Airways, the seaports, railways, and the telecommunications that provided massive employment and other opportunities for our people to themselves, relations and associates.
“Agriculture that provided huge employment opportunities for Nigerians, raw materials for industries and made good returns for the running of our government has been neglected and abandoned. While this is the scenario, the killer government has flooded Nigerian soil with Genetically Modified Crops in place of our natural, organic ones to continue to kill Nigerians in our millions to satisfy their masters’ desires.
“Wives are leaving their marriages out of hardship to join the wolves while some families are selling their children in order to enable them to feed. The refineries are abandoned so that they will continue to refine overseas at larger costs to the country.”
CLO recalled that “Only late last year, the Tinubu Presidency lied to Nigerians that the Port Harcourt refinery had been fixed and would be put to use in 2024. They also promised to fix Warri and Kaduna refineries this year. The year is coming to an end, and it has been stories as usual. Where will we end our pathetic and ugly stories? Our roads have become total death traps, pensioners’ pension funds are stolen whereas millions of retirees have died without receiving their gratuities. The only country where snakes, rodents and cockroaches swallow money all over the world is Nigeria. What a society of shameless, unconscionable and irredeemable looters!
“As Nigerians are starving and facing extreme poverty and hardship, the crooks in government are stashing billions in hard currencies in their banks in foreign lands as well as investing in those places. In the face of these travails and disturbing lifestyles by our politicians and families, they expected Nigerian youth and indeed people to stand with hands akimbo and watch helplessly.”
The group therefore declared support for the nationwide protests “until these hawks implement their demands or resign from office”. It called on all suffering Nigerian peoples to give maximum support to the youth, adding that, “We only caution both parties to toe the part of peace as we will document any grave human rights infractions committed while the protest lasted”.
