#Endbadgovernment: Take leadership of protest to avoid anarchy – CSO tells organisers

#Endbadgovernment: Take leadership of protest to avoid anarchy – CSO tells organisers

#Endbadgovernment: Take leadership of protest to avoid anarchy – CSO tells organisers

A coalition of civil societies in Osun State, The Osun Masterminds, TOM, has stressed the need for the organisers of planned mass protests against bad governance to take leadership of the protest to avoid anarchy.

The group, at its July state-of-the-State address, through its Executive Director, Professor Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli in Osogbo, disclosed that a protest without proper leadership and coordination is a recipe for anarchy.

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While admitting that protest is a right of every citizen who deemed it fit to voice out on how a country is governed but warned the youth to be wary of a poorly organised protest to avoid being infiltrated by hoodlums.

He said, “We strongly hold that the right to protest is that of every citizens of this country and no one should attempt to subdue people’s voices whenever they chose to cry out about how they are been governed or misgoverned. The state of affairs in Nigeria is truly worrisome and people have a right to voice their disapproval as guaranteed by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for freedom of association, gathering, and speech.

“We condemn threats by security agencies, groups, and political office holders against any form of protest. Our democracy as presently enjoyed, was borne out of agitations, therefore, if there is any component of democracy that is germane, it is that of freedom.

“At a time that we have not fully recovered from the woes of the EndSars, the looting, maiming and destruction of lives and public facilities that were and still being replaced by our common patrimony or lost forever, we CAN’T afford to have a repeat of such as a nation and that is why the note of caution is been sounded to the ears of particularly the youths, than an uncoordinated protest or one that is without leadership is a very dangerous.

“It is in this light that we caution that the protest be conducted peacefully, and no form of infiltration must be allowed by hoodlums and those whose intentions are not patriotic. We already are having a shortage in critical infrastructure in the country, and we can not afford to by ourselves destroy the very few functional national assets, in the name of showing grievances against the government.

The group charged government at various levels to be proactive, transparent and accountable to gain the people’s trust.

“We advise the government to be more proactive and engage the citizens more by being accountable, transparent, and showing empathy in their dealings and demand from the system that accommodate their representation and leadership”, he added.