3rd
August, 2024
PRESS
RELEASE:
HUNGER PROTEST: ILL-ADVISED, DISTRACTION - MURIC
The
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has described the August 2024 hunger protest a
potential failure, an ill-advised venture and a sadistic distraction.
This
description was articulated in a press release issued on Saturday, 3rd August,
2024 by the Founder and Executive Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
He
said:
"The
#hunger and #endbadgovernance protest organized by some civil societies which
was billed to last from 1st to 10th August lost its steam yesterday as a major
backer called for a halt to the protest (https://www.channelstv.com/2024/08/02/breaking-suspend-endbadgovernance-protests-now-adegboruwa-tells-youths/).
"Nigerians
were, however, disappointed by the reaction of the organisers as they rejected
the call claiming that he was not their lawyer (https://punchng.com/organisers-differ-as-lawyer-calls-for-suspension-of-protest/).
With this development, we see the August 2024 #hunger and #endbadgovernance
protest a potential failure, an ill-advised venture and a sadistic
distraction.
"It
is a potential failure because it contains elements of disintegration and
disenchantment. That is why we find anti-protest groups at protest grounds
while a key stakeholder among the backers has seen wisdom in backing out. This
goes to show that the organisers did not consult widely enough. Apart from
the whole Eastern states, many other states did not participate in the protest.
"It
is ill-advised because while well-meaning Nigerians and organisations, including
MURIC, (https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/718596-planned-protest-will-trigger-mother-of-all-hungers-muric.html)
warned against staging the protest because it would be hijacked and because it
would turn violent, the organisers turned deaf ears. They only listened to
opposition figures and some agent provocateur. Those premonitions have become fait
accompli and regret has begun to set in even among early supporters of the
protest.
"Furthermore,
we see the protest as a sadistic distraction because it was given a false label
in the first place. The hashtag #EndBadGovernance given to the protest is
misleading. It is a misnomer and this may be deliberately so. The
Tinubu-Shettima administration cannot be rightly called 'bad governance'
because it has set in motion many people-oriented policies, including taking
steps to stave off hunger in the land. This is a case of giving a dog a bad
name in order to hang it.
“The
organisers still went ahead with the protest knowing that innocent people would
suffer. This is sadistic. It shows that there are some elements in the leadership
of the protest who find joy in the pain and agony inflicted on others. No
wonder Napoleon Bonaparte opined that men are led by toys.
"Among
such policies taken by the Tinubu administration and for which it does not fit
into what the protesters call ‘bad governance’ are the newly approved N70,000
minimum wage which raised workers' salaries by more than 100%. Others include
the pursuance of local government autonomy to a logical conclusion at the level
of the Supreme Court, the introduction and disbursement of students' loan, the establishment
of the North West Development Commission as well as the South East Development
Commission, etc, all within one year of the debut of the Tinubu regime.
"These
insignias do not look like the hallmarks of bad governance. They are
progressive and dynamic. What of the humongous monthly allocations to state
governors as a fallout of increased earnings? It is therefore deceitful of the
organisers to have labelled the Tinubu administration as 'bad governance'. The
sadism manifests in their ostrich-like stance regarding warnings of the
likelihood of violence, looting and destruction if they went ahead with the
protest.
"All
these fears became real when the protest started, yet they have refused to stop
the protest even after one of the lawyers who backed them urged them to
stop. Tinubu’s administration is on track. It should not be distracted by attention
seekers.”
#StopViolentProtest
#StopBadCitizenship
Professor
Ishaq Akintola,
Founder/Executive
Director,
Muslim
Rights Concern (MURIC).
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