NADECO USA asks international community to monitor hunger protest

Ahead of the August 1 nationwide protest against economic hardship, the United States of America chapter of the National Democratic Coalition has called on the international community to closely monitor the protest to ensure the safety of every Nigerian partaking in it.

NADECO USA chapter said it is wrong for the government to criminalise protests by targeting its organisers.

The President of NADECO USA, Dr Lloyd Ukwu, made the call during a news briefing in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital on Wednesday.

Ukwu warned that using force or intimidation to quell the protest would be a violation of democratic principles and a serious threat to fundamental rights.

He noted that for several years, Nigerian leaders have deployed tribalism, ethnicity and religion to divide the the citizenry in a bid to suppress popular demands.

He said the body supports the planned peaceful protest as long as the participants confine themselves within the law.

Ukwu explained that freedom of expression is a fundamental human right under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights inherent to all individuals irrespective of ethnicity, gender, nationality, religion and social status.

To that extent, he said protests are a catalyst to change, to reshape agendas and to spark positive debate.

He said, “Today marks a crucial juncture in Nigeria’s political history and development. It is with utmost concern and unwavering resolve that I speak on behalf of NADECO USA regarding the forthcoming protest by the Nigerian people, dubbed ‘End Bad Governance In Nigeria.’

“NADECO USA unequivocally endorse and support the planned peaceful protest, provided that it adheres to non-violence principles.

“Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, inherent to all individuals irrespective of ethnicity, gender, nationality, religion or social status.

“Protests are age-long ways for citizens to express themselves. The constitutional right to expression, be it political or social is safeguarded in Nigeria’s legal framework.

He added, “NADECO wishes to remind President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian people that Tinubu himself is a product of incessant and numerous protests beginning with Chief MKO Abiola’s June 12, 1993, annulled elections.

“In 2014, prominent figures like President Tinubu, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Pastor Enoch Adeboye and Professor Wole Soyinka, exercised their rights to dissent, including symbolic acts that criticized the government.

“Why then should Nigerians be denied the right to peaceful protest today? While President Tinubu referenced revolution, it is essential to clarify that revolutions emerge originally rather than being orchestrated. It is disingenuous for the government to criminalise protest by targeting its organisers.

“We call on the international community to monitor this planned peaceful protest closely, ensuring the safety of every Nigerian Participant.

“This protest may evolve similarly to the one he supported in 2014. NADECO USA therefore considers it an irony of a circumstance and hypocrisy of the highest order for people to run all over the place to attempt to intimidate the Nigerian people who are genuinely desirous of defending their rights to good governance.”