#EndBadGovernance: NBA asks for protest cancellation, suggests alternative steps

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has urged the organisers of the planned #EndBadGovernance nationwide protests set to begin from 1 to 10 August to call off the plan.

In a statement on Monday, the NBA president, Yakubu Maikyau, cited the economic and security risks of the protest in urging the organisers to rescind their decision.

“Our past experiences with mass protest are that they are usually hijacked by unscrupulous elements who use the opportunity to commit heinous crimes and thus turn an otherwise peaceful protest into a riot,” he said.

Mr Maikyau, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, acknowledged the nation’s challenges and “the corresponding right of the people to express their dissatisfaction with the current state of the affairs”.

However, he said there is a possiblitiy that the nation’s “detractors and naysayers” could be directly instigating and encouraging the protest.

“It is against this background, that I most humbly appeal to Nigerians, particularly, those that have decided to embark on the planned street protest to have a rethink and take a second look at what could be the possible outcome of embarking on such exercise to our security, economy, and existence,” the NBA president wrote.

He added, “Whatever we are going through right now, cannot be compared to the experience of a civil unrest and the chaos that could ensue therefrom. Needless to mention nations that are currently going through wars with the attendant carnage and destructions. We do not even want to imagine what the experience would be, and we must forbid it.”

He said instead of the protest, the government, the protest organisers, and supporters should rather engage in “for frank and sincere discussions on what must be done to immediately address the plight of the people.”

He added, “Mechanisms should be put in place for regular government/people engagement, with timelines for specific actions that should be implemented as circumstances dictate.

“We urge members of the National and State Houses of Assembly to engage with their constituents to address the demands of the people.

“We also recommend convening a National Security Summit, where serving and retired military, police, intelligence, and other law enforcement officers can reexamine our security situation and propose workable solutions.

“Traditional institutions and religious leaders should be included in this process, and civil society organisations should be engaged in both the dialogue and monitoring of implementation.”

Some Nigerians, particularly the youths, have been mobiliaing online for a nationwide protest to pressure the government to address economic hardships many citizens are going through in the country.

There is a widespread displeasure among Nigerians about the government’s poor handling of the fallout of its economic policies, leading to high rate of inflation and general rise in costs of living.

But despite acknowledging the legitimacy of Nigerians’ grievances and right to protest, many interest groups have asked the orgsnisers cancel the public demonstrations, citing security the security risks.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), among other groups, appealed to aggrieved Nigerians to consider alternative ways of expressing their grievances.

The CAN President, Daniel Okoh, in a statement on Friday in Abuja, suggested exploring other legal avenues that would prevent hoodlums from hijacking the exercise.

Meanwhile, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate for 2023, Peter Obi, has expressed his support for the nationwide protest.

READ ALSO: Election losers sponsoring nationwide protest – Akpabio

Mr Obi, the former Governor of Anambra State, said the Nigerian constitution allows for protest as a right of citizens.

He cautioned against violence and urged demonstrators to stay within the bounds of the law.

Read the NBA’s full statement below:

OUR CALL ON GOVERNMENT AND APPEAL TO THE PEOPLE OF NIGERIA ON THE PLANNED NATIONWIDE PROTEST**
1. We have consistently and in no unclear terms, called Government’s attention to the sufferings of the people of this country and the need for Government to take clear and decisive steps to revamp the economy and get Nigerians out of hunger and poverty, caused largely by incidents of insecurity across the country. The current state of the nation was engendered and sustained by corruption in its different forms and shades, in both public and private sectors. While this cannot be solely blamed on the current administration, we had on the subject of National Security, vide my letter of 12 June 2023 to President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, called the attention of this administration to the need for informed investments in the security sector of this country. This was absolutely necessary, because of the direct impact of insecurity on the economy and the prosperity of our people. We impressed upon the President as follows:
“Your administration must neither be afraid nor ashamed to make the right investments in the security of this country. What Nigerians require is a well thought-out, informed, all-inclusive and purposeful intervention, with as much information made available to the public, to the extent permitted within the parlance, so as to reassure Nigerians of the sincere commitment of government in the area of security. This is necessary to build back the confidence we individually and collectively need as a people. Government must be transparent; the people must, by deliberate and conscious investment in manpower development and equipment purchase/procurement, be taken out of the state of fear, which decades of bloodshed and flourishing criminal activities have plunged the country into; the psyche of Nigerians must be recovered from the place of despair and despondency! The right people must be given the task of implementing security plans and policies.”

2. To achieve this, respect for professionalism must be the primary consideration in all deployments made by your administration. We in the NBA would hold Your Excellency accountable for your commitment to prioritize security. As rightly affirmed by Your Excellency, “neither prosperity nor justice can prevail amidst insecurity and violence.” There is no denying that our present-day experience has hampered the prevalence of prosperity and justice in many respects.**
3. We also addressed the issue of the economy, referring to the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy (which was commended by many experts as a bold, necessary, and desirable decision) and called on the President to ensure that the sufferings or sacrifices of Nigerians count for something. We said:
“With the level of infrastructural deficits in many respects and the reliance on petroleum products as the primary source of power for most businesses, entrepreneurs, and private users, there is an urgent need to implement policies that will help cushion the effects of this otherwise laudable decision before its positive impact is felt within our socio-economic space. We note Your Excellency’s call on Nigerians to make sacrifices and bear the pains of subsidy removal with the assurance that, ‘the government I lead will repay you through massive investment in transportation infrastructure, education, regular power supply, healthcare, and other public utilities that will improve the quality of lives.’ This assurance offers a genuine basis for the sacrifices expected of Nigerians, and the NBA shall, on behalf of Nigerians, monitor the fulfillment of this covenant. Your Excellency, the pains and sufferings of our people must never be taken for granted; they must count for something.”

4. Further to the above, in a State of the Nation Address delivered on 14 February 2024, we, among other things, made observations and recommendations to Mr. President on the economy as follows:
“It is said that Nigeria has the largest economy in Africa. There is an expanding market in all economic sectors including manufacturing, financial, communications, technology, and service and entertainment sectors. Our reality today tells a different story. Our economy is dwindling, the Naira is on a freefall, prices of foodstuffs have skyrocketed, and our future economic outlook seems to be on a negative trend. Inconsistent economic policies have largely led to weakened economic fundamentals, including sluggish economic growth. The direct result of these is the low standard of living, alarming rate of poverty, high unemployment rate, and the wide disparity in the socio-economic status of the Nigerian population. Given this current reality, it would not be surprising if the number of Nigerians living in extreme poverty has increased. The state of insecurity has also negatively impacted food sufficiency and food security as a nation. Those who rely on farming as their sole means of livelihood have been thrown into abject poverty because they can no longer go to their farms. While this administration may argue that it is only seven months into office and not responsible for the present-day experience, the fact remains that it is this government that has the responsibility of stemming this negative tide. As a government that prides itself on the credentials of Mr. President, who revolutionized and transformed the economic fortunes of Lagos State (which is not in doubt), and other experts who have excelled as economic authorities, it would be disappointing and embarrassingly so if this administration did not anticipate this situation as a fallout of previous administrations and make provisions to exit this economic quagmire. Nigerians need to know, in concrete terms, the plans this administration has to revamp our economy. Engagement with the government that educates and informs Nigerians of the strategies for economic recovery will give them hope to continue to persevere and remain resilient as we have always been. Failure to do so will result in a complete loss of confidence in this administration’s ability to deliver on its renewed hope agenda and will be recorded as a monumental failure on the part of the government. President Tinubu must take seriously the cries of ‘we are hungry’ by Nigerians across ethnic and religious lines.
Going forward, we recommend that the government must, as a matter of urgency, announce deadlines for specific fundamental economic steps towards economic recovery. This will enable all stakeholders to assess the performance of the government regarding its promises and become a basis to hold the government accountable to the people. Secondly, the Tinubu administration must demonstrate a commitment to diversifying the economy. There is much talk by ministers about what the government intends to do in agriculture and solid minerals. It is time to back up talk with concrete deliverables. Thirdly, we need to address our security challenges. As previously stated, we cannot dream of economic growth amid rampant insecurity. Economic activities nationwide are currently grinding to a halt due to the threat of bandits, terrorists, and criminals.”

4. On 14 February 2024, we wrote a letter to Mr. President, making observations on the state of insecurity in the country as follows:
“It is no longer news that Nigeria, across its length and breadth, is bedevilled by challenges of insecurity in alarming proportions. From the ravaging activities of bandits and terrorists to the scourge of kidnapping for ransom and other forms of criminal activities, bloodshed has become a daily occurrence. The news of these dastardly incidents pervades the airwaves and the psyche of Nigerians, sending shock and fear throughout the populace. These criminal activities have left many Nigerians homeless and have completely destroyed numerous families and businesses. Rather than abating, these incidents are clearly on the rise. From the kidnapping of pupils and their teachers in Ekiti to the continued onslaught on the people in the Northwestern states, the killings and massacres in Plateau, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, the destruction of electricity infrastructure in Bauchi, the murders in Anambra, Imo, Enugu, and other parts of the country, including the Federal Capital Territory—the seat of the government—there is literally no part of the country not enmeshed in one form of insecurity challenge or another.”
5. By the turn of the year, on 12 June 2024, as part of the 2024 Democracy Day celebrations, we issued a statement where we again called the Government’s attention to the challenges in the economy and the plight of the people. This is what we said:
“There is no gainsaying that Nigerians are enduring hardship due to the mismanagement of our resources by successive administrations in this country. Nonetheless, it is the responsibility of this Government, led by President Tinubu, to provide solutions to our challenges. After all, government is a continuum, and one of the governance and political credits accrued to the President from his tenure as Governor of Lagos State is his ability to assemble men and women with the intellectual sagacity and experience to address challenges and improve conditions for the benefit of the people. This was achieved in Lagos State, and there is considerable expectation that it will be replicated across Nigeria. While it may be too early to fairly assess this government’s performance given the state of the nation at the time it took over, it is doubtful that some of Mr. President’s appointees have fully understood or embraced the vision of this administration based on the renewed hope agenda.
There is a need for more energy, focus, and purposefulness in certain areas of this administration to complement the efforts from other quarters and achieve a holistic delivery of the benefits intended for Nigerians. The government must self-evaluate and be bold in making decisions that promote productivity for the benefit of the people.
It is on record that tough, bold, and seemingly unavoidable decisions have been made by this administration, with attendant consequences on the living standards of many Nigerians. It is crucial that more interventions are introduced to alleviate the sufferings of the people, which will help manage their expectations and assure them that the current hardship is only temporary. Government actions must inspire confidence that, sooner rather than later, the sufferings will cease, making the sacrifices worthwhile. Nigerians should be able to see light at the end of the tunnel. I am confident that with the right deployment of resources (both human and material) under purposeful supervision, this is achievable. I conclude by reminding Mr. President of his assurance to Nigerians a year ago that, ‘the government I lead will repay you through massive investment in transportation infrastructure, education, regular power supply, healthcare, and other public utilities that will improve the quality of lives.’ Nigerians are waiting, and expectations are high!”

6. It is clear from the foregoing that the NBA, through its extensive network of 130 branches across the country, is aware of the plight of the people. We have consistently addressed these issues and called the Government’s attention to the need for urgent intervention, in line with our responsibility to hold the Government accountable on behalf of the people. We have also engaged with government officials at various levels, emphasizing the need for people-driven initiatives and policies.

7. Therefore, given that insecurity and economic hardship do not appear to be abating, the call for a nationwide protest—rightly or wrongly—and the seeming response by some Nigerians is a reaction to the prevailing hardship across the country. The fact that Nigerians are largely unaware of government efforts to address the situation has undoubtedly fueled dissatisfaction with the government at all levels.

8. As noted earlier, Nigerians need to be convinced of the Government’s sincerity in addressing these issues. Government efforts in tackling the current economic hardship must be communicated clearly to Nigerians at all levels, accompanied by tangible interventions that will provide immediate relief and long-term improvements in welfare and living standards. Nigerians are resilient and hardworking, and they deserve the respect of their leaders. Understanding and true followership must be reciprocated with purposeful leadership; the Government has the responsibility to translate its purposefulness and sincerity into concrete benefits for the people.

9. While in the few times that I had the opportunity of engaging with Mr. President, his sincerity in dealing with the affairs of this nation and achieving, amongst others, his promise to take the majority of Nigerians from poverty to prosperity is quite palpable. It is, however, doubtful if there is a robust understanding or alignment by some of Mr. President’s appointees with this noble resolve, towards achieving the renewed hope agenda.

10. It is therefore important that Mr. President undertakes an evaluation of the performance of his appointees with the view to injecting more energy into the administration and closing all the loopholes that would not allow the sincerity of Mr. President to translate into tangible benefits for all Nigerians. This, for me, is one way we can successfully deal with these issues, and it is with, in the words of Mr. President, “a change of mind, a change of attitude and a change of approach to governance.” We all, as Nigerians, must quit playing politics with the lives and welfare of the people. We must resort to measures devoid of any political, ethnic, religious, regional, and other primordial sentiments in order to guarantee our exit from the myriads of challenges that we now deal with as a people.

11. In our letter to the President on 14 February 2024 mentioned above, we did observe that: “Some Nigerians have lost, and many more are fast losing confidence in the ability of the Federal Government to deal with the security situation in Nigeria. At this time, when public confidence in the sincerity of government in dealing with insecurity is at its lowest ebb, I strongly recommend a government/people engagement that will, at the minimum, inform the people (to the extent that security protocol may allow) about what is being done to secure the nation. Alternatively, let there be clear indicators that, indeed, government is sincerely paying attention to the plight of the people and is committed to its constitutional responsibility of providing security for the lives and properties of Nigerians. Unfortunately, however, government posturing appears to be far from this expectation. When, for instance, in the face of these challenges and daily experiences of Nigerians, the National Assembly embarks on projects for their personal welfare, involving humongous amounts of money, and the requests are indulged by the Executive, that is not a posture that will give Nigerians any hope.”

12. The members of the three arms of Government must be mindful of their conduct and ensure they do only such things that will be consistent with the sincerity of Government to deliver its programs and policies for the benefit of the people. There must not be any posturing that will appear to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians, given our current economic realities.

My Appeal to the Protesters

13. I must begin by making it clear that this is not about “protesters” versus “non-protesters,” it is about our dear country Nigeria, and no more – there cannot be any interest greater than Nigeria. The truth is, we all are protesters in one way or the other. It is how we protest and where we express our protests that differ from person to person or from one group of persons to the other. So, in essence, it is about all of us. I have also not set out to talk about the legality or otherwise of the planned protest. While the importance of conducting ourselves in a lawful and orderly manner cannot be overstated – representing our respect for the supremacy of the rule of law, my appeal is to our collective duty as Nigerians to see to the peace and order in our country, which is necessary to guarantee its existence. We must all remember that our individual and collective aspirations can only be realized if Nigeria remains in existence. Therefore, dissatisfied as we may be with the state of affairs, we must find reasons to exercise restraint/caution by avoiding anything that could cost us our dear country. We need to have Nigeria in place before we can fix the anomalies and challenges that confront us on a daily basis – the leadership, the economy, security, and our general wellbeing are only relevant when we remain an entity – one indissoluble and indivisible Nigeria.

14. As I indicated earlier, it is not in doubt that there is hunger in the land. The fear of insecurity has caused many to flee their homes and are, therefore, unable to cultivate their farmlands to feed, trade, or practice their occupations. They have been thrown into misery and penury. Many Nigerians have lost their sense of worth, are living in dehumanizing conditions, and human dignity is no longer what they long for, but survival. We have for these and many other reasons become vulnerable. While not discounting any of our distasteful experiences, this is the time we must, for the sake of Nigeria, try very hard to hold back from any act or omission that could have a devastating effect on our existence as a nation.

15. Only a few months ago, we experienced a strike action that cost Nigeria a fortune; the loss we suffered was colossal and it is our common loss. While that strike may have been resorted to in order to get the Government’s attention on the matters being discussed at the time, we did not have to inflict such heinous injury or damage to our nation’s economy just to get Government’s attention. At the end, our situation became worse than what it was before the strike, thus adding to our challenges as Government’s ability to deal with those issues was further diminished by the negative impact of the strike on the economy.

16. According to economists and financial analysts, strikes (as well as protests) come with considerable adverse economic consequences, including but not limited to work stoppages, reduced production related to lost workdays, stalled infrastructure projects, and delayed service delivery, often amounting to huge financial losses. It has been estimated that the cost of a one-day strike in Nigeria can be as high as 100 million dollars. Social unrests and the attendant fear have severe long-term effects, such as a decline in investment. They send the wrong signals to foreign investors, thus resulting in capital flight. This affects foreign exchange as it puts undue pressure on our currency, thereby worsening an already bad economic situation.

17. At this time, when we are all burdened and distressed by the hardship in the country, our vulnerability is heightened and suggestions which would ordinarily be dismissed with a wave of the hand as unreasonable and non-beneficial, begin to get attractive. Difficult as it is, this is the time to sit back and allow the voice of reason to prevail. The voices we hear and hearken to will determine our actions/reactions and the consequences therefrom. We must be careful about those we lend our ears to. Not everyone who speaks to the issues we are dealing with does so for altruistic purposes. Many have their selfish pursuits, while some others are simply waiting to cash in on the protest to unleash mayhem on the people, our properties, and the country as a whole. Unknowingly, some of us have become ready tools in the hands of these detractors with sinister motives, who do not mind the collapse of our nation.

18. We will all recall that prior to the 2015 elections, predictions from the West were that the 2015 elections were not going to hold, and that Nigeria was going to plunge into civil war and disintegrate. This caused many to sell their properties and flee the country. To the Glory of God, we defied that evil prophecy, went on to hold elections, and remained indissoluble and indivisible. We still stand as a nation to the shame and disgrace of our detractors. In October 2022, (less than two years ago), Nigerians were alarmed by the threats of a possible breakup. Prophets of doom were at it again! They predicted that Nigeria would not survive to see the conduct of the 2023 general elections, and suddenly, we saw foreign nationals close down their embassies and evacuate out of the country. Again, to the Glory of God, we conducted the elections, we did not disintegrate, and we are standing as a nation.

19. In a statement issued on 14 March 2023, we observed as follows: “With all the emotions surrounding the general elections, particularly the Presidential elections, I quite understand how quickly one may forget how far we have come as a country in our journey towards a more perfect electoral process. We are not where we should be, but we definitely have made some progress. Needless to recount the human and material losses we suffered as aftermaths of previous general elections; the fear of disintegration as a nation and even recently, the ‘prophecy’ of doom which saw many, if not all, foreign nationals evacuated out of Nigeria by their respective governments; they moved out with their pets (dogs and cats) signifying lack of hope and confidence in our survival and continued existence as a people.

The movement by the foreign nationals out of Nigeria was sudden, almost spontaneous, creating a terrible sense of emergency and heightening concerns and fears about the security and stability of this nation. However, these same nationals later sneaked back into Nigeria without much fanfare. They joined in monitoring and observing the elections, which were held despite the earlier predictions of doom. When the reasons for their initial exodus either ceased to be or were overcome, we were not informed. Nevertheless, we weathered the storm.
That we are here today, not only thinking about the possibility of the conduct of the elections but that the Presidential and National Assembly elections have actually been held, is in itself one of the greatest successes recorded by us as a nation. The level of cynicism and suspicion about the holding of the elections was so palpable that many Nigerians either contemplated moving their families out of Nigeria or already did so. The situation became so dire that the idea of a military takeover was discussed openly, prompting reassurances from the Defence Headquarters that no such plans were in place.

19. Without trivializing the seriousness of our challenges and experiences, and the corresponding right of the people to express their dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs, I would be complacent to think or assume that our detractors and naysayers are not interested in or are directly instigating the planned protest.

20. It is against this background that I most humbly appeal to Nigerians, particularly those who have decided to embark on the planned street protest, to reconsider the possible outcomes of such an exercise on our security, economy, and existence. Our past experiences with mass protests show that they can be hijacked by unscrupulous elements who turn otherwise peaceful demonstrations into riots. The potential for civil unrest and chaos is high, and we must avoid actions that could have devastating effects on our nation. Nations currently experiencing conflict and destruction offer a sobering reminder of what we could face if we do not exercise caution.

21. Therefore, my humble call to both Government and the organizers of the planned protest is to come together for frank and sincere discussions on what must be done to immediately address the plight of the people. Mechanisms should be put in place for regular government/people engagement, with timelines for specific actions that should be implemented as circumstances dictate. We urge members of the National and State Houses of Assembly to engage with their constituents to address the demands of the people. We also recommend convening a National Security Summit, where serving and retired military, police, intelligence, and other law enforcement officers can reexamine our security situation and propose workable solutions. Traditional institutions and religious leaders should be included in this process, and civil society organizations should be engaged in both the dialogue and monitoring of implementation.

22. God bless the good and hardworking people of Nigeria, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!