My Fellow Nigerians, It has become necessary for me to address you having heard from many concerned Nigerians and having concluded a meeting with all the Security Chiefs.
I must warn those who have hijacked and
misdirected the initial, genuine and well-intended protest of some of our
youths in parts of the country, against the excesses of some members of the now
disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
On Monday-12th-October 2020 I
acknowledged the genuine concerns and agitations of members of the public
regarding the excessive use of force by some members of SARS.
The choice to
demonstrate peacefully is a fundamental right of citizens as enshrined in
Section 40 of our Constitution and other enactments.
But this right to protest also imposes on the
demonstrators the responsibility to respect the rights of other citizens, and
the necessity to operate within the law.
As a democratic
government, we listened to, and carefully evaluated the five-point demands of
the protesters. And, having accepted them, we immediately scrapped SARS, and
put measures in place to address the other demands of our youth.
On approving the termination of SARS I already
made it clear that it was in line with our commitment to the implementation of
extensive Police reforms.
Sadly, the promptness with which we have acted
seemed to have been misconstrued as a sign of weakness and twisted by some for
their selfish unpatriotic interests.
The result of this is clear to all observers:
human lives have been lost; acts of sexual
violence have been reported; two major correctional facilities were attacked
and convicts freed; public and private properties completely destroyed or vandalized;
the sanctity of the Palace of a peace-maker, the Oba of Lagos has been
violated.
So-called protesters
have invaded an International Airport and in the process disrupted the travel
plans of fellow Nigerians and our visitors.
All these executed in the name of the ENDSARS protests.
I am indeed deeply pained that innocent lives
have been lost.
These tragedies are
uncalled for and unnecessary.
Certainly, there is no
way whatsoever to connect these bad acts to legitimate expression of grievance
of the youth of our country.
The spreading of
deliberate falsehood and misinformation through the social media in particular,
that this government is oblivious to the pains and plight of its citizens, is a
ploy to mislead the unwary within and outside Nigeria into unfair judgement and
disruptive behavior.
On the contrary, both
our deeds and words have shown how committed this administration has been to
the well being and welfare of citizens, even with the steadily dwindling
revenues, and the added responsibilities and restrictions due to the Corona virus
pandemic.
Government has put in place measures and
initiatives principally targeted at youths, women and the most vulnerable
groups in our society.
These included our broad
plan to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years; the
creation of N75 billion National Youth Investment Fund to provide opportunities
for the youths, and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Survival
Fund, through which government is:
a. paying 3-months
salaries of the staff of 100,000 micro, small- and medium- enterprises
b. paying for the
registration of 250,000 businesses at the Corporate Affairs Commission
c. giving a grant of
N30,000 to 100,000 artisans
d. guaranteeing market
for the products of traders.
These are in addition to
many other initiatives such as: a. Farmermoni, b. Tradermoni, c. Marketmoni, d.
N-Power, e. N-Tech and f. N-Agro. No Nigerian Government in the past has
methodically and seriously approached poverty-alleviation like we have done.
With regard to the welfare of police personnel, the National Salaries, Income
and Wages Commission has been directed to expedite action on the finalization
of the new salary structure of members of the Nigeria Police The emoluments of
other paramilitary services are also being reviewed upwards.
In order to underscore the importance of education
in preparing youths for the future, this administration has come up with a new
salary structure and other incentives for our teachers.
Let me at this point
reaffirm the Federal Government’s commitment to preserving the unity of this
country.
We will continue to
improve good governance and our democratic process, including through sustained
engagement. We shall continue to ensure that liberty and freedom, as well as
the fundamental rights of all citizens, are protected. But remember that
government also has the obligation to protect lives and properties, as well as
the right of citizens to go about their daily businesses freely and protected
from acts of violence.
To our neighbors in
particular, and members of the international community, many of whom have
expressed concern about the ongoing development in Nigeria, we thank you and
urge you all to seek to know all the facts available before taking a position
or rushing to judgments and making hasty pronouncements.
In the circumstances, I would like to appeal
to protesters to note and take advantage of the various well-thought-out
initiatives of this administration designed to make their lives better and more
meaningful, and resist the temptation of being used by some subversive elements
to cause chaos with the aim of truncating our nascent democracy.
For you to do otherwise
will amount to undermining national security and the law and order situation.
Under no circumstances will this be tolerated.
I therefore call on our youths to discontinue the street protests and
constructively engage government in finding solutions.
Your voice has been
heard loud and clear and we are responding. And I call on all Nigerians to go
about their normal businesses, and enjoin security agencies to protect lives
and properties of all law-abiding citizens without doing harm to those they are
meant to protect.
Let me pay tribute to officers of the Nigeria
Police Force who have tragically lost their lives in the line of duty.
I would like to thank all
the State Governors, traditional and religious leaders who have appealed for
calm and restraint.
I also thank youth leaders who have restrained
their followers from taking the law into their hands. This government respects
and will continue to respect all the democratic rights and civil liberties of
the people, but it will not allow anybody or groups to disrupt the peace of our
nation.
Thank you all.
God bless
the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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