COUNTRY REPORT – AUGUST 2024

                           

 ZAREPHATH AID COUNTRY REPORT

(A Monthly Report on Governance issues presented by Zarephath Aid for the month of August 2024)

 

1. The twilight of the month of July 2024 heralded heightened anxiety in the Nation chiefly because preparations for the August 1 #endbadgovernance protests spearheaded by notable good governance activists and civil society advocates had become irreversible despite the Government’s carrot-and-stick approach among other means to halt or weaken the assemblage.
2. Prior to the tensed atmosphere, Nigerians had voiced their dissonance with the state of affairs in the country; at different fora and in the majority of homes, the principal buzzword was that Nigerians were hungry. The economic situation triggered extensive adjustments on many home fronts and this led to calls on the Government to act more responsibly by making key sacrifices instead of living in denial and playing the ostrich.
3. Nigerians had observed the hypocrisy exhibited by Government officials who chose the period of pain and angst in the land to nourish their lavish cravings in a manner that cannot be satiated. Indeed, political and Government leaders acted with aloofness to the reality on ground.
4. August 1 ushered the protests that rocked many parts of the country. From the North to the South, Nigerians trooped out to register their displeasure with the torrid economic situation. Placard carrying men and women expressed their pain and discomfort in demonstrations that lasted many days.
5. Few days into the protest that was billed to last for 10 days, many youths in the Northern part of country were seen waving the Russian flag while openly calling on the Army to take over the Government. Simultaneously, public infrastructure was destroyed in a fit of senseless rage.
6. Conversely, the reports that security operatives used live ammunition on the protesters signposted a new low in the Government’s desperation to quell dissent. It is reported that over 100 Nigerians were shot and killed by agents of the Government during the protests. In addition, more than 1500 other citizens are presently languishing in the custody of several security organizations without arraignment in court or bail. Their continued detention in very inhuman conditions further interrogates this Government’s democratic and rule of law avowals.
7. On the day set apart by the police to arraign the suspects in court, they were neither brought nor a new day fixed for the arraignment. The detention continues.
8. As a law and order focused Organization, we state as follows;
9. We condemn any attempt at regime change in a manner otherwise than provided for in our laws, which is through the ballot box. Nigeria cannot afford to go down the road of violence, war or military rule again.
10. We equally condemn the continued detention of these protesters without arraignment in court or bail in the name of treasonable felony. The safeguards that are constitutionally entrenched to shield them from arbitrariness have been thrown overboard. The so-called treasonable felons should without much ado be brought to court upon a charge and allowed to defend themselves. Until then, keeping them indefinitely in police or DSS custody is tantamount to pre judging and finding them guilty before the court says so. This Government cannot be a prosecutor and Judge in their cause.

• We call for the arrest and trial of the security operatives who shot and killed peaceful protesters in the guise of maintaining law and order. After careful investigation they should be charged for murder.

 

9. A key highlight of this report involves the continuation of Government’s profligacy in times of extreme economic disintegration. We note with palpable concern the following;
10. The procurement by the Federal Government of a jet worth billions of Nigerian taxpayers’ money for the president in a season of general anomie.
11. The procurement of a luxurious limousine valued at about N995m for Mr. President’s use as an official vehicle.
12. The continuation of the Lagos to Calabar coastal highway despite clearly questionable actions that border on breach of extant laws on procurement; and the outcry by dispossessed property owners over lack of adequate compensation.

• In conclusion, we urge Government at all levels to exhibit more empathy for Nigerians. Economic policies should be matched with sacrificial action by Government officials. No matter what you espouse, what people see and observe speak volumes. Actions, it is said, speak louder than words. The Government should know this. We expect that in the succeeding months, Nigerians will begin to experience change.

 

E-Signed:

 

Joe O. Ameh

Executive Director, ZAREPHATH AID

www.zarephathaid.org

 

ZAREPHATH AID (ZA) is a dynamic Non-Government, Nonpolitical and Nonprofit Organization with a vision for Criminal Justice reforms via Legal aid, prisoners’ welfare and rehabilitation.