Protest restriction: Kwarans are hungry, can’t be cowed forever, CSO tells Gov AbdulRazaq
The Community Outreach for Development and Welfare Advocacy (CODWA) has expressed disappointment over the restrictions imposed on the people regarding their right to carry out peaceful protests in demand for good governance.
According to a statement by the Executive Director of the movement, Comrade Taiwo Otitolaye, and made available to The Informant247, CODWA was surprised by the state government’s action to restrict its citizens from conducting peaceful protests as planned from August 1st to August 10th to demand an end to extreme hunger and bad governance.
The statement reads: “The Motion Ex-Parte restricting the citizenry from conducting public peaceful protests, rallies, or meetings in any part of the state other than the Metropolitan Square, a remote area of Asa Dam, begs many questions:
“Whether law officers are not aiding a return to a primitive society. Whether the state is not acting contrary to the 1999 Constitution (as amended) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?
“How do state actors view their bold-faced assault on the universal principle of every human being’s right to peaceful assembly?
“Is the Kwara State government happy to promote a relapse into a primitive society, akin to class apartheid, where presumed representatives build walls to separate themselves from the critical mass they are supposed to govern?
“Any society where the judiciary becomes a willing tool in the hands of political leaders is gradually heading towards abyssal degeneracy.
“The people cannot be cowed forever; attempting to cage the masses is retrogressive and perilous, as the long-term consequences could be greater than imagined.
“We challenge the government of AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to a street walk to evaluate the level of hunger among Kwarans.
“Yesterday, further surveys to gauge how hunger affects Kwara citizens revealed distressing situations. We saw a mature lady buying a cup of milk and raw semovita from a vendor.
“The food vendor confided in us that people are really suffering. She recounted an incident where a man, who had stationed a motorcycle nearby, stole a 10kg bag of rice from her shop and fled. This incident indicates the level of hunger in Kwara State. The government should therefore not portray Kwara State as a hunger-free zone.
“This outdated and oppressive restriction on peaceful protests is alien to the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), and the universal right to freedom of assembly.”
