Military, police missing the mark on hunger protests -Ex-SGF Babachir Lawal alleges

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal has criticized the Nigerian military and police for their stance on the looming nationwide protests by aggrieved Nigerians.

He accused them of missing the mark in their positions, adding that the planned hunger protest has exposed the hypocrisy and underlying issues within key segments of the country.

The former SGF took a swipe at the military high command for issuing threats to Nigerians in an attempt to discourage them from participating in the upcoming protests.

In a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday, Babachir Lawal said: “Egged on by the political class and probably to pander to the huge ego of their Commander-in-Chief, the military high command has been issuing threats to Nigerians to discourage them from participating in the proposed hunger protests.

“The military has blatantly ignored the fact that internal security is wholly the constitutional responsibility of the Nigerian Police Force.

“Meanwhile, bandits, kidnappers, insurgents, and the so-called ‘unknown gunmen’ are controlling large swaths of Nigerian territory with thousands of citizens held in captivity with no near-hope of redemption.

“The military appears unable or unwilling to effectively tackle these challenges but instead is intending to dabble into domains for which they are ill-equipped.

“Furthermore, the military high command pretends to be oblivious to the fact that their rank and file also frequent the same markets as the hapless civilians. They are also victims of the pervasive low purchasing power, extreme poverty, high cost of living, and the all-encompassing insecurity that has enveloped the nation.

“Indeed, one could argue that they are most affected, seeing as they are the ones losing more lives due to poorly equipped fighting forces, a result of pervasive government corruption.

“Indeed, it is common knowledge that bandits and insurgents are sometimes better equipped than the fighting troops. So, the argument could be made that the military stands to benefit more if the government were to act responsibly and accountably.

“And since, by virtue of their calling, they cannot organize or participate in protests, who else could come to their rescue but the protesting civilians?

“The police high command has also been issuing murderous threats to the would-be protesters. This is particularly sad because the Police Force knows that its duty should be to protect the protesters and ensure the protests proceed smoothly, devoid of violence and anarchy.

“However, given that the Police Act has just been speedily amended, with the primary motive appearing to be the extension of the tenure of the current Inspector General, it is not unreasonable to assume that the police high command intends to show its gratitude to the President through an overzealous suppression of the planned protests.

“Messrs Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Inspector General of Police, Director General, State Security Service, and National Security Adviser, please calm down!

“The protesters are your relations, friends, and fellow countrymen and women who are severely overwhelmed by lack and want. Some of them are dying from hunger, malnutrition, and diseases.

“They are despondent because they see no hope on the horizon and receive no empathy from the government whose interests you are overzealously defending.

“The people’s backs are against the wall, and they see no alternative ways of communicating their discontent to an apparently deaf and dumb government.

“Imams, Sheiks, and Church leaders have now converted their minbars and pulpits into political platforms to discourage the faithful from participating in the hunger protests, likely in gratitude for substantial financial inducements from politicians and government agents.

“Such has been the practice of this government since the 2022/2023 campaign season. Some church denominations have even issued circulars directing their congregations not to participate in the hunger protests.

“But the faithful will ignore them. These renegade religious leaders should choose whom they will serve: either God or Mammon; but certainly not both.

“The government itself is in full panic mode, employing every weapon at its disposal, including cash, threats of arrests, fear-mongering, and intimidation.

“The Presidency has deployed its most virulent propagandists and attack dogs against its citizens in full force.

“Their preferred methodologies are threats and fear-mongering. The system is awash with cash to fund the activities of anonymous emergency and unregistered NGOs that threaten would-be protesters with violence and counter-protests.

“But their methods are not working. On the contrary, these methods have exposed the underbelly of the government and emboldened the organizers of the protests.

“The Constitution guarantees the right to protest. Both the protesters and the government know this fact, so the government and the people are now facing each other eyeball-to-eyeball.

“The protest organizers are not scared of these threats and intimidation because the hunger in the land is too severe.

“The people are angry because government looting continues with reckless abandon, nepotism persists with a ‘you can go to hell if you don’t like it’ mentality.

“Meanwhile, only the children of the ‘high and mighty’ get employed while those from the less privileged class remain at home with their starving parents.

“It is no wonder that Nigerians view the coming protests as an implacable matter: a sort of ‘you-do-it-you-die, you-don’t-do-it-you-die’ situation.

“Apparently, the government is unbothered or oblivious to these facts, hence their resort to a combination of intimidation and bluster, a classical Lagos methodology of tackling crises.

“The National Assembly, which could have mediated this conflict, is itself a non-starter. Led by a clownish, ineffectual leader, it has taken an extended recess to go into hiding.

“Those with private jets have taken flight out of the country, while those without have formed long queues at international airport terminals, most likely in the company of their concubines, leaving the hapless, unarmed Nigerians to face the full wrath of a frightened executive arm of the government.”