…urges Nigerians to protest through the ballot
The Coalition of Ekiti Civil Society Organisations has called on Nigerian youths, particularly those from Ekiti State to weigh their options properly as far as the planned protest is concern, saying protest in any part of Ekiti may be unnecessary.
In a communique issued at the end of its meeting in Ado Ekiti and signed by the Chairman, Christopher Oluwadaree, the group noted that though protest is the inalienable right of any citizens but such must be organized and ensured to be non-violent.
The statement reads:”The organizers of this impending protest must be seen as patriotic, nationalistic, and of strong integrity to assure law-abiding citizens that the protest will not be hijacked by politically motivated violent elements.
“COECSO expects Nigerians to be educated and appreciate the power of elections as the most democratic means of expressing opinions for or against the overarching policies or programmes of federal, state, or local government leadership.
” This opportunity for mass protest in a democracy comes periodically, and in the case of Nigeria, every four years. Therefore, let every citizen prepare to use their Voter’s Card judiciously at any opportunity to voice their opinions.
“The impending public protest must avoid violence, destruction of public and private properties and assets. It would be a travesty if what we complain about as inadequate or less functioning are the very things we end up destroying, forcing the government to divert scarce resources to repair, replace, and rehabilitate. This is the regret of ENDSARS, which must not be repeated by any means and in any state of Nigeria.
The group however urged the Federal Government to respond and not react nor repress, to the genuine concerns and agitations of its citizens.
According to the statement, the Executive arm of the federal government must be seen to be genuinely implementing sustainable measures to alleviate multidimensional poverty beyond tokenism and palliative distribution, which have never reached the actual beneficiaries at the community level.
It noted that the primary solution to food inflation and socio-economic woes is the uprooting of banditry which has taking over farmlands and arable forests in all states of Nigeria.
It added that “For Ekiti State, there are channels for continuous citizen engagement and feedback, which can be improved upon. Therefore, embarking on a mass protest in any part of Ekiti State is unnecessary. Those with genuine concerns should avail themselves of the available and effective channels of communicating with the Governor or his political aides at the state and local government levels.