….tells police not to fire a single bullet during the protest
..urges President Tinubu to bring back petrol subsidy’
…Coalition pulls out of nationwide protest, cites intervention of Anyim Pius, others
…Court Restricts Hunger Protests To Four Locations In Ogun

Lawyer to some of the organisers of the planned hardship protest, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has appealed to the protesters to reduce the protest to one day or a maximum of three days.

The #EndBadGovernance protests which is gaining momentum on social media is slated to be held from August 1 to 10.

In a statement on Wednesday, hours to the eve of the protest, Adegboruwa urged the protesters to be orderly and peaceful as they go out on Thursday to protest in the locations already sent to the police

While saluting the courage of the protesters, he called for engagement with the government on the issues raised to address the same and urged the protest organisers to set up different teams to engage with various government agents for immediate action.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria said, “Even our forefathers in their graveyards have heard your voices loud and clear. The way and manner in which the government has been running helter-skelter since the announcement of the protests shows the moral victory of your campaigns and your struggles.

“What we have done in the past few days is to facilitate dialogue with the law enforcement and security agencies. The insistence by the Inspector-General of Police of ‘credible intelligence’ with plans for violence is a confirmation of the desperation of the government to abort the protests by sponsoring hooligans and thugs to disrupt the protests. This is currently ongoing in many parts of Lagos State.”

“I therefore appeal that the protests be orderly and peaceful and conducted in the locations you have already sent to the police.

“Also, let the days of the protests be reduced to one day or the maximum three days and thereafter be suspended. Let your demands be made known to the government and then give time to address them.

“I have no doubt that you have the capacity to prosecute the protests as intended and that you have the support and prayers of the majority of our people, in all your actions. But let us give room for more dialogue. I offer to join you in this, anytime.

“I make this appeal in the interest of peace, progress and tranquillity of our dear nation,” he added.

‘Don’t Fire A Single Bullet’
The Senior Advocate also warned security agencies against firing bullets, arbitrary arrests of citizens and deployment of the military.

“The law recognises the right to peaceful protests while mandating the police to offer protection to unarmed civilians during their protests. Let no single bullet be fired tomorrow, let there be no arbitrary and unlawful arrest of citizens and let there be no deployment of the military to handle tackle engagements.

“The protesters are our children and our citizens. They certainly do not deserve bullets and crackdowns.”

‘Bring Back Petrol Subsidy’
Adegboruwa further advised President Bola Tinubu and his team to immediately reverse the twin policies of oil subsidy removal and currency devaluation.

The senior lawyer said the policies have only worked to cripple the economy and throw Nigeria into its worst economic crisis.

He also advised the President on the need to urgently end the wastage by government functionaries, arising from their lavish lifestyles.

“How can the President buy a new jet, the Vice-President renovate his house with N21B and the people are expected to suffer? How do you widen your wealth and luxuries and preach to the people to tighten their belts?

“President Tinubu must end all forms of bad governance, of dolling out billions in religious pilgrimages while handing out pittance to students as loans?” he asked.

Coalition pulls out of nationwide protest, cites intervention of Anyim Pius, others

The Coalition of Concerned Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria, comprising more than 100 ethnic nationality groups with millions of members says it has decided to pull out if the planned nationwide protests following the intervention of key stakeholders like Senator Anyim Pius Anyim.

Anyim Pius, a former President of the Senate and a foundation member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had recently defected to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to align his political mission and vision with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In a press release signed by its chairman Comrade Moh’d Kazeem and Comrade Emmanuel Gabriel, spokesperson and made available to journalists in Abuja shortly after a stakeholders engagement facilitated by the elder statesman, the group said it succumbed to the superior wisdom and the sound reasoning of stakeholders who are unanimous in calling for restraint and patience as Mr. President is already addressing most of the contending issues.

“We are compelled by superior wisdom of statesmen like Senator Anyim Pius Anyim and glaring facts on the ground to jettison out earlier position on the planned nationwide protests. While we were convinced that out course of action was legitimate and patriotic, it is humbling to admit that we were deceived by miscreants who are out to discredit the current administration for their personal interests.

“With the opening of our national borders to ease the importation of food and fight food inflation, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has demonstrated a deep commitment to addressing the hunger and pain Nigerians are currently experiencing. It’ll therefore be unwise to continue with the protests when all hands are on deck to address our grievances.

“Just few days ago, Mr. President magnanimously issued an Executive Order mandating NNPCL deliver crude to Dangote Refinery and other Modular refineries operating in the country with naira payment. This is also a step towards achieving energy self-sufficiency, reducing the strain of foreign exchange and making products affordable.

“There are also interventions in the Ministries of Trades and Investment, Youth and Sports, Agriculture and others to address youth unemployment by scaling up skill acquisition programs with a view of creating jobs and empowering Nigerians. The Consumer Credit Scheme and National Youth Investment fund are just some examples out of many”, the release noted.

The Coalition applauded the efforts of Senator Anyim Pius Anyim for opening their eyes to the complexities inherent in governance and the fact that most of the damages the current administration is trying to salvage were actually caused by the rot in successive administrations

“Our meeting with the esteemed statesman is an eye opener. We are heeding his appeal and pulling out of the nationwide protest because of his deep understanding of Nigerians political landscape and his conviction that President Tinubu is on the right track to restore Nigeria’s economic fortunes and glory.

“The fact that he committed his time to facilitate this meeting instead of siding with the enemies our country is truly inspiring. As one who is committed to the development of youths and the nation in general, we are convinced our decision to pull of the purported protest is in the interest of our country. We call on other elder statesmen to emulate him”, the statement added.

The release appealed to other groups and individuals to “equally distance themselves from anarchists who are out to set fire on our beloved nation, stating further that the horrors of the EndSars protests are still fresh in the hearts of Nigerians and a repeat of the same episode will wreck Nigeria terribly”

Court Restricts #EndBadGovernance Protesters in Ogun

Meanwhile, the Ogun State High Court on Wednesday ordered the sponsors of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests to limit their activities to four locations in the state.

The court also restricted the time frame of the protests to between 8 am and 5 pm.

Granting an application moved by the State’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade (SAN), Justice O. Ogunfowora directed that all protests under the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria slogan or any other slogan from 1 August 2024 to 10 August 2024 must be limited in place and time.

The judge prohibited the protesters from protesting anywhere in the state except at the MKO Stadium, Abeokuta; Ansar-ud-Deen Comprehensive High School, Ota; Remo Divisional High School, Sagamu; and Dipo Dina Stadium, Ijebu-Ode.

The Attorney-General explained that the four locations are across the four divisions of the state in the three senatorial districts, allowing protesters in those vicinities to conveniently participate in the protests under adequate protection and without infringing on the rights of any non-protesting members of the public.

The judge, in his ruling, also prohibited any protest from taking place outside the hours of 8 am to 5 pm.

The judge further directed the Commissioner of Police in Ogun State to enforce the order and ensure that the protests are held only in the specified locations and during the time periods stated in the order.

The judge declared that the order would last for seven days and ordered the State to serve the application on notice within that period.

Justice Ogunfowora shortened the time for the protesters to respond to the application to 72 hours.

The case was adjourned to 6 August 2024.