We Will Not Join Protest – MURIC Assures

We Will Not Join Protest- MURIC Assures

By Aisha Musa

In a press statement, its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, the human rights organization said it will not join the planned protest. MURIC said Nigerians should acknowledge various efforts being made by the Federal Government to alleviate the suffering of the masses. It therefore advised the youth to be creative and innovative instead of being docile, complacent and destructive.

The full statement reads: “We are aware of preparations being made to protest against economic hardship in the country. Although we have made our stand known concerning inflation and the attendant hardship in the country, we must again reiterate the fact that rising prices, hunger and other forms of hardship are not restricted to Nigeria.

“Other countries around the world are facing the same predicament and they are finding solutions to it instead of embarking on destructive protests.

“The last #EndSARS protest was a colossal calamity as burning and looting took the central stage. Lagos bore the brunt of the damage as more than 300 brand new air-conditioned buses were burnt down by marauding hoodlums. It must not be allowed to happen again.

“Protesters forgot that government has no special property. All such properties referred to as government’s properties belong to the general public. They are owned by the citizens whose taxes were used to procure them. Any protest that targets properties is an exhibition of wastefulness, foolishness and madness.

“The trajectory of the new protest being planned has taken a similar dimension. Lagos is being targeted like before and revenge for electoral loss appears to be uppermost on the list of motives. No explanation has been given for making Lagos a main target even though the city is far away from the Nigerian capital. This gives us more than enough reason to reject the protest. It is irrational, sectional and vengeful. Count us out of it. MURIC will not partake in this protest.

“Those who argue that MURIC must partake in this because we participated in the anti-Jonathan protest forget that the protest against Jonathan was orderly, peaceful and well coordinated. There was no burning, looting or killing. We all stayed at the Freedom Park, Ojota, Lagos and addressed the people there. Nobody was molested.

“That is unlike the planners of this protest who burned and looted properties worth billions of naira in 2020 and 2021. In particular, properties of the present president were mercilessly destroyed in Lagos at a time when he had not even showed any intention of contesting for election.

“MURIC will only join hands with people who want to build Nigeria. We wash our hands off rebellious subjects, enemies of peace. We have a duty to remain constant with the motto of our organization which is ‘Dialogue, Not Violence’. We will not participate in burning and looting. We prefer to bring smiles on the faces of Nigerians, not pain and anguish.

“Besides, Nigerians should acknowledge various efforts being made by the Federal Government to alleviate the suffering of the masses. Government has been responsive. Palliatives in form of large numbers of trucks containing food items are being distributed regularly. Senators and members of the House of Representatives recently cut their salaries by half. The minimum wage of Nigerian workers have just been raised by more than 100% from N30,000 to N70,000.

“We therefore advise Nigerian youths not to allow anybody to deceive or use them for their selfish ends. Our youths should be creative and innovative instead of being docile and destructive.

“We recognize the right of citizens to express dissent but that does not include the right to destroy public and private properties. We advise those who wish to express their minds to engage government in dialogue and to pick designated places for their assembly and conduct themselves in orderly manner. We charge the security agencies to provide adequate security for those in peaceful assemblies in such designated places.”