No fewer than 5,000 activists, including youth and women from all over the country, stormed the National Assembly in Abuja yesterday to express their strong opposition to the Coastal Guards Establishment Bill.
Under the umbrella of Concerned Citizens of Nigeria, the protesters carried placards and banners with inscriptions such as “No to Coastal Guards Bill” and “Don’t Waste Our Resources.” They chanted slogans and sang songs, demanding that the National Assembly reject the bill.
According to Kabir Adamu Matazu, the group’s spokesperson, the Coastal Guards Bill is unnecessary. He will only duplicate the functions of existing security agencies, such as the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Marine Police, and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
Matazu argued that the bill wastes resources and will create confusion and conflict among the various security agencies. He also pointed out that the Nigerian Security Agencies are already highly rated and acclaimed internationally, and therefore, there is no need to establish a new agency.
The protesters called on the National Assembly to reject the bill and instead focus on strengthening and bolstering the functions and capacity of existing institutions.
They also urged the government to invest scarce resources in addressing the country’s fundamental problems rather than embarking on unnecessary adventures.
“Let us state unequivocally that members of the Nigerian Coastal Guards will not and cannot better protect Nigeria’s maritime interest and further regional coastal security; an additional agency will do nothing to improve these situations,” Matazu said in his address.
“Profoundly repetitive and reoccurring is the problem of duplications.
