A coalition of 13 civil society organizations has called on the federal government and security agencies to immediately release all arrested peaceful protesters and sanction security agents who attacked unarmed protesters.
The statement follows President Bola Tinubu’s live broadcast on Sunday, addressing peaceful protests in some parts of the country.
The coalition noted that the President’s 38-paragraph speech failed to address the core demands of Nigerians across the country, who are calling for good governance and an immediate change from the current downward trend in accountability and social development.
In a press statement released in Abuja on Tuesday, the coalition, comprising 13 organizations, including Accountability Lab Nigeria, BudgIT Foundation, Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Enough is Enough (EIE) Nigeria, Yiaga Africa, among others, stated:
“We remind the government that if security forces continue to aggravate protesters, it may become difficult to broker dialogue. We recommend that representatives of the National Peace Committee and reputable civil society groups serve as facilitators and observers of this dialogue process and its outcomes.
“The protesters have stated they will continue their peaceful demands on the streets until Saturday, August 10. We urge the federal government to concede to the low-hanging requests as a reassurance of its commitment to citizen-centered governance and leadership.”
Over the past few weeks, Nigerians have planned, mobilized, and curated various demands, giving the government adequate notice. As civil society groups and stakeholders in the polity, we have streamlined the demands based on consultations to facilitate a peaceful and holistic engagement with the government on these issues.
