Protest against economic destruction not treason – Afenifere

The pan-Nigerian social welfarist body, Afenifere has expressed worries over government’s stance on the labelling of hunger protest in Nigeria as treasonous offence, saying it betrays inalienable rights of citizens to make logical demand.

The body also stressed that there is a clear case of economic mismanagement by government, by removing subsidy and imposing hardship on people against their expectations for good governance.

Afenifere, in a release by its deputy national leader, HRM Oba Oladipo Olaitan, and signed by Prince Justice Faloye, National Publicity Secretary, calls for the immediate unconditional release of ‘Hunger Protesters’ charged with treason. The body also advices President Tinubu’s administration from slipping into dictatorship that criminalizes the inalienable right to protest for self preservation and upholding of social contracts.

The statement reads in parts: “Dozens of protesters, both adults and underage, are in jail for exercising their democratic civil rights of self preservation, as millions have had their economic welfare destroyed with this administration’s economic policies that have more than halved real wages while subjecting people to hyper-inflation, long torturous queues at the petrol stations, unaffordable and still errant electricity supply.”

The body noted that citizens have rights in a democracy to protest peacefully, adding that those that turn violent during protests are charged with nothing more than criminal wilful destruction of property, not treason.

“Rather than accuse the protesters of treason, the economic misgovernance of this administration is bordering between criminal negligence and economic treason, when one considers that the petrol and foreign exchange issues at the root of our economic hardship could have been resolved within 100 days of the administration by halving our import bill made up of fuels/oils – 33% ($21b), Vehicles 21% ($13.42 billion) and edibles 10% ($6.71b).

“Revelations following the Dangote Refinery show that the NNPC has conflict of interests involving politician friends and family members that sabotage the proper operation of local refineries costing us $21b – 33% of our imports. Also, instead of making all government tiers buy locally assembled cars to cut the second largest import bill, Vehicles costing $13.42 billion – 21% of our imports, the government went on a buying spree of thousands of foreign luxury cars costing billions.

“There appears to be a clear case of economic treason, working against our national economic interests, because despite being clearly and logically stated in President Tinubu’s manifesto to remove subsides ONLY after our refineries work, his government inexplicably removed petrol subsidies prematurely, thereby betraying public confidence in favor of foreign financial institutions, in return for more non-developmental loans that would be squandered.

“This economic sabotage is veiled by fallacious free market principles, when in actual fact the government is the monopolist supplier of foreign exchange, who dictates the value of Naira by the amount it chooses to supply, and a monopolist supplier of petrol, solely imported by NNPC and whose price is dictated by value of Naira decided by the government. So the question is precisely which industries are expected to grow that is worth peoples sacrifices and suffering with renewed hope?” Afenifere stated.

Afenifere however, stated that the government should not increase the pains of citizens who are ordinarily expressing their grievance over hunger in the land.

“The government can’t jail Nigerians feeling the pain and protesting its debilitating economic policies and fuel shortages due to a privatized NNPC that has privatized its retail wing to those monopolizing petrol stations.

“While NNPC favors continued importation of fuel, with our scarce dollars furnished by the government, the Naira is devalued further, leading to cost push hyper-inflation, wrongly addressed with high interests rates that shuts down the economy and further worsens our unemployment and poverty rate. This is irresponsible economic strangulation of the masses tantamount to economic treason.

“Purporting that some protestors, despite not backed by arms, politicians nor ideology, were treasonable because of suspected foreign financers, President Tinubu and his party must be reminded that they were once financially and morally backed by foreign institutions to protest, launch anti-corruption and political campaigns against President Jonathan, who though publicly complained, never charged them with treason, despite clear evidence of foreign foundations and institutions involvement. So President Tinubu and his ruling party have no moral right to charge any protestor against bad governance, especially unarmed and underage protestors.

“The Tinubu administration will do well to take the advice of the Nobel Laureate Professor Soyinka, who recently cautioned fellow Nigerians against fascism. The intimidation of political opponents, journalists, civil society activitists, arresting Labour Unionists including the NLC President Joe Ajaero, employment of guile and underhanded tactics to undermine persons and organizations, collective stigmatization of ethnicities, the financial inducement of cultural and opinions leaders to prevent people from exercising their fundamental human rights of protest and self preservation, is a very slippery slope to fascist dictatorship.

“Afenifere hereby implores the Tinubu administration not to turn Nigeria into a pariah nation like the days of the Abacha regime which Tinubu himself fought against, alongside Afenifere. Our guiding principles of making life more abundant and Justice for all, that you rose upon remains unchanged, regardless of tribe, religion or personality.