The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, has challenged youths of Niger Delta extraction to come out en masse and participate in the planned peaceful protest against bad governance scheduled for August 1.
President of the Ijaw Youth Worldwide, Dr. Alaye Theophilus, made the call in a statement.
The call was in reaction to statements issued by the Chief of Army Staff, Inspector General of Police, state governors, ministers, and other top government functionaries asking Nigerians to refrain from staging any protest.
According to him, Nigerians had at various times, from the colonial era to the present dispensation, protested to register their displeasure against bad governance and wondered why the present administration is kicking against citizens’ rights to express their dissatisfaction over the current hardship in the country.
Theophilus recalled how the APC government rode to power in 2015 on the wave of protests against the then Peoples Democratic Party-led federal government for its inability to tackle rising insecurity, unemployment and corruption.
He said that protest is a universal right of citizens to draw the attention of those in authority to examine their conduct, programmes, and policies and tailor them for the country’s overall development.
“The hardship faced by the people of the Niger Delta, particularly those in the hinterlands, is becoming unbearable as a litre of fuel now sells for over N2,000, one pure water for N100, and other essential commodities have gone beyond the reach of the people.
“Sudden deaths have become a common occurrence in rural areas due to hunger and untold suffering,” he stated.
He urged security agents to be cautious in their approach and urged them not to be overzealous and brutal while monitoring the protest to maintain law and order.
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