Nigerian Diaspora Group Calls For Unconditional Release Of #EndBadGovernance Protesters
The Global Coalition for Security and Democracy in Nigeria (GCSDN), a Nigerian group in the Diaspora, has called on the Nigerian government to release all detained #EndBadGovernance protesters.
Their detention is a mockery to democracy and an embarrassment to Nigerians in diaspora, a statement signed by its Global Coordinator, Comrade Frederick Odorige, on Saturday, said.
It said, “When our host countries see that our people have no rights back home, they see no reason why they should respect the rights of Nigerians living in their countries.
“It is also a mockery to the judiciary when protesters are charged for treason and so-called coup. This is happening in a country that pays life pension to coup plotters like Ibrahim Babangida and Muhammadu Buhari.
“Nigerians have the right to protest and we believe that the government is not about to re-write the constitution in order to remove such rights. It is equally embarrassing that the erudite Attorney General of the federation, Chief Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, could be silent and allow the law to be trashed by politicians who put personal interests about the country.
“Whoever denies that there is no harsh economic condition in today`s Nigeria, is clearly in self-deceit. Conditions in the country have been worsened by the corruption and insecurity that are yet to be fully addressed. We have watched with concern how corrupt government officials are suspended from office but never prosecuted.
“We have also observed that what such corrupt officials refund through plea bargain, are not published. When recovered funds are hidden in secret and not accounted for, it catapults corruption and further weaken the economy. This government must focus on real issues that will take Nigeria out of the present quagmire.”
It noted that though the government of Bola Tinubu blames former President Buhari for ruining the economy but it has failed to arrest or call on “Buhari to refund what he misappropriated”.
It said, “The negligence is affecting the economy negatively. Too much public money is in private pockets.
“As the chairman of ECOWAS, we expect the sitting president Bola Tinubu to show example of respect for human rights. It is the same high-handedness applied against Burkina Faso, Chad and Niger Republic, that led to their withdrawal from ECOWAS.
“The best way to end protests is to provide good governance. People do not protest when governance is effective and efficient. Much progress would have been made in Nigeria if the last one year was not spent on unnecessary propaganda against the opposition.
“The government must listen to opposing voices and inject constructive criticisms into governance. People are already saying that if this is the same Bola Tinubu of NADECO who fought the military for democracy, that is now treating protesters with military tendencies, it means that his agitations against the military were pretentious.
“Killing and detaining Nigerian protesters and planning to arrest others, while paying ransom to terrorists, cannot be explained. If the aim of detaining our compatriots is to deter them from future protests, the goal will surely fail if governance is not improved. Stop taking actions that weaken patriotism.
According to the group, at a time like this, Nigeria needs reconciliation, restoration and restitution.
“These could easily be achieved if all political detainees are released; modernized and expansive farms established in all the 774 local government areas; steady electricity provided within a given time frame, and the political will to fight terrorism fully activated. Please put the country above all,” it added.
