Don’t Intimidate Nonprotesting Nigerians, Catholic Bishops Tell Protesters

Catholic Bishops of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province have called on protesters across Nigeria to exercise restraint and not disturb or intimidate other Nigerians who may choose not to participate in the ongoing hunger protest, knowing that it is their inalienable right not to participate in it.

The Bishops in a communique issued after their meeting in Ibadan, said that such people who chose not to join in the protest should be allowed to go about their lawful business unhindered.

In the communique which was jointly signed by the chairman, Most Rev Leke Gabriel Abegunrin and secretary, Most Rev John Akin Oyejola, the Bishops also said that the organisers of the

protest have a responsibility to ensure all these or call off the protest.

“Protests should cause no consternation in any normal democratic setting because the right of protest is guaranteed in true democracies all over the world.

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“Protests are organised to draw the attention of governments and authorities to the opinion or demands of people or groups in society. In Nigeria, the impending protest has raised a furore of opinions regarding its legitimacy and expediency.

“Many believe that the protests are not a solution to Nigeria‘s problems. They are right. Protests are not meant to provide solutions to problems. Protests are held as a last resort for citizens who have cried out for solutions to problems and have not been heeded.

„Protests are the last resort for amplifying the voice of those who feel oppressed. The protests in Nigeria should be made to serve that purpose and none other,“ they stated.

The Bishops while speaking on the issues of the protest, said that they strongly believe that if governments in Nigeria at all levels had responded more promptly and effectively to the groans and distress calls of the Nigerian people the current protest would not have gathered momentum.

„Nigerians have cried out about dire hunger in the land, persistent insecurity, failed promises, dashed hopes, the outrageous cost of living and governance, and ineffectiveness of the rule of law in curbing criminality among public officials not to talk of many public officers‘ ineptitude with serious national issues.

„We strongly urge the Federal, State and Local Governments to promptly attend to the distress call of the Nigerian people and turn a new leaf by responding promptly and effectively henceforth to the problems and distress of Nigerians.

„As we have said in the recent past, governance by palliatives, by intimidation or by hide-and-seek methods cannot provide a permanent solution to the challenges faced by the country.

„During this protest therefore relevant security organizations must show restraint and civility in discharging their duties and avoid violence and accidental deaths which unfortunately seem to have characterized past exercises in Nigeria,“ the Bishops stated.