Former Governor of Lagos state and National Chieftain of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu has told #EndSARS protesters to
call of the demonstration to allow government implement their demands.
Tinubu is his statement averred that the Buhari administration has
acted with commendable dispatch by not only scrapping SARS, but also
accepting the five-point demand that triggered the protests.
He further stated that the intent of the organizers of the protests
is to achieve stated objectives on police reform, and certainly not to
cause generalized anarchy or effect regime change.
For the past twelve days, our country has witnessed massive protests
by youths in different cities, which were ignited by widespread
disenchantment with the gross human rights abuses including torture,
extortion, harassment intimidation and even extra-judicial killings of
Nigerians by members of the disbanded Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS).
“to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign”. Justice as
one of our greatest writers has memorably noted is “the first condition
of humanity”. The demands for fundamental police reforms by the
protesting youths are in pursuit of our aspiration in our national
anthem.
A society where those who are paid from the public purse to protect
the lives and property of the people become themselves threats to the
liberty, safety and dignity of the people; where human life is difficult
to distinguish from Thomas Hobbes ‘State of Nature, solitary, poor,
nasty and brutish’ is not one fit for free and decent people to live in.
Such impunity and lawlessness are incompatible with the values and
tenets of a democratic society governed by the supremacy of the rule of
law.
Society confronts challenges such as injustice, impunity, corruption,
dictatorship and are forced to respond in resistance and struggle for
emancipation.
The result is the triumph of justice over injustice, liberty over
tyranny and right over wrong thus enabling the society to be elevated to
a higher level of good, accountable, responsible and responsive
governance.
It was through this process that colonialism, apartheid, and all
forms of dictatorship, misrule and tyranny have been overcome across
time and space. Our current democratic dispensation was borne of
struggle in response to the challenge of military dictatorship.
The impunity of SARS was thus a challenge that the youth have
responded positively and courageously to and has triggered the
commencement of the fundamental reform of the country’s policing system.
The protesters must admit that the President Buhari administration
has acted with commendable dispatch by not only scrapping SARS but also
accepting the five-point demand that triggered the protests. This shows a
laudable sensitivity to the grievances of the youths.
It is only fair that government must be given the chance to implement
the reforms demanded by the protesters. This can certainly not be done
instantaneously by the waving of a magic wand.
If government had not implemented promised reforms in the past, the
swiftness with which it has responded to the demands of the protesters
this time around shows that that there is a positive change by
government both of attitude and of a new sense of urgency.
The protesters have made considerable gains within a very short
period. But they should also be careful not to fritter away such gains
due to lack of moderation and strategic thinking. For instance, it is
unfortunate that hoodlums, thugs and assorted criminals have seized on
the protests to perpetrate violence, disrupt civil life and harass,
intimidate and assault innocent persons going about their lawful
business.
The intent of the organizers of the protests is to achieve stated
objectives on police reform, which the government has in principle
accepted. It can certainly not be their motive to cause generalized
anarchy or effect regime change.
If they give the impression that that is their goal, then any
government will necessarily have to act with the requisite decisiveness
and force to restore law and order and preserve constitutional rule.
The vigour and vibrancy of the protests are an indication of the
growing strength of the democratic culture in Nigeria. It is a
demonstration of the beauty of democracy and its promotion and
protection of people’s power.
However, the protesters must be careful not to set the stage for the
erosion or destruction of the same democratic process that gives them
the freedom and right to protest in the first place.
Their democratic right to protest must not be exercised in such a way
that impedes the democratic right of other citizens to freedom of
movement, expression and the liberty to pursue their livelihoods.
The fight for police reforms is surely to promote and protect the
wellbeing of millions of Nigerians. It is a contradiction for the
protesters to act in ways that will further worsen the economic well
being of the very people they are fighting for.
The protests have forcefully demonstrated the reality and potency of
people’s power and the new energy must be tapped and channeled to
strengthen, not weaken the country’s democracy. Surely, the country
cannot remain the same after this.
It is a good sign that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in Lagos and a
number of other state governments have speedily set up judicial panels
of inquiry into acts of police brutality over the years. I urge the
state governments which are yet to do so to emulate this example.
Let me commend all our religious leaders, Christians and Muslims for
their patriotism and high sense of responsibility at this sensitive
time. I appeal to them to call on their teeming followers to call of the
protests for now and give peace a chance.
Finally, I also strongly appeal to the protesters - YOU HAVE MADE
YOUR POINT. GOVERNMENT HAS MADE ITS COMMITMENT TO YOU. PLEASE, PLEASE
AND PLEASE, CALL OFF THE PROTESTS. GIVE GOVERNMENT A CHANCE TO IMPLEMENT
YOUR DEMANDS. GOD BLESS YOU.
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