The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has called on organisers, proponents and supporters of the planned nationwide hunger protest to call off the protest.
It wants the organisers to come together with the Federal Government, for a frank and sincere discussion on what must be done to immediately begin to turn around the plight of the people for good.
In a statement on Monday, the President of the association, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau, SAN, said: “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. 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 realised 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.
“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.
READ ALSO: Lawyer files N1bn suit against FG, security agencies over planned protest
“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. Whatever we are going through right now, cannot be compared to the experience of a civil unrest and the chaos that could ensue therefrom.
“We further recommend that a National Security Summit be convened, where serving and retired military, police, intelligence, and other law enforcement officers will assemble to reexamine our security situation, proffer workable solutions and implementation strategies.
“Traditional institutions and religious leaders should be co-opted and given specific tasks in this regard. Civil society organisations should be engaged at all levels of the proposed dialogue and in the monitoring of the implementation of the decisions that may be reached.
“There is no gainsaying that Nigerians are passing through hardship on account of the mismanagement of our resources by successive administrations in this Country. Notwithstanding, it is the responsibility of this Government led by President to proffer solutions to our challenges.
“After all, government is a continuum. There is need for more energy, focus and purposefulness to be injected in certain areas of this administration; to compliment the work and efforts from other quarters to achieve a holistic delivery of the benefits this administration intends for Nigerians.
“Government actions must elicit the confidence that, sooner than later, the sufferings will cease, as that is the only way to make the sacrifices worth the while. Nigerians should be able to see light at the end of the tunnel, and I am confident that with the right deployment of resources (human and material), under a purposeful supervision, this is achievable,” Maikyau added.
