Nigeria police station. Photo/ AFP |
Activists demand system change, good governance
AFRICAN Democratic Congress (ADC) has called for legislation to address issues of impunity, extra-judicial killings and intimidation of innocent citizens by the country’s security personnel.
The political party also canvassed total review of the Electoral Act, overhaul of the security apparatus, as well as enhanced salary and welfare of all public servants.
Speaking to newsmen at a press conference in Owerri, weekend, the National Vice Chairman (South East), Ignatius Nlem, said the calls became necessary to address the yearnings of the youths during the EndSARS protests.
According to him, there is also need for immediate reform of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for the Chairman and the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) to be elected by delegates drawn from the three tiers of government.
His words: “The reform of the National Assembly and Houses of Assembly should be given urgent attention – the former’s organisational framework changed from bicameral to unicameral and lower salary structure; and independence of the legislative from the executive.”
MEANWHILE, the Joint Action Front (JAF) has restated its condemnation of the October 20, 2020 shooting at the Lekki Tollgate in Lagos by the army.
It explained during a media briefing in Lagos at the weekend that the call became imperative to entrench good governance.
The Deputy Chairman, Achike Chude, and Secretary, Abiodun Aremu, insisted that the terror unleashed on Nigerian youths was rehearsed in Abuja, Jos, Benin, Port Harcourt, Osogbo, Ilorin, Kano, Ibadan, Lagos and other centres across the country.
JAF lamented the daily employment of miscreants, allegedly by government forces, for over two weeks to attack the peaceful protesters, before the Lekki Tollgate genocide.
“These are all part of the premeditated design to criminalise the protests and give excuse for the merciless military killings of hapless Nigerians.
“It is also reprehensible and irresponsible that President Buhari did not mention the Lekki shooting in his national broadcast. All these were done to cover up the crime against humanity by the government. So, we don’t have trust in the judicial panel of inquiry set up by the government. Rather, we call for an independent panel comprising representatives of civil society organisations, youth groups, trade unions, lawyers and media to probe the Lekki shooting and other state-sponsored attacks on peaceful protests in parts of the country,” they stated.
JAF, however, condemned the destruction of public and private property in the country, adding that the unfortunate incident was provoked by the mass anger, which trailed the Lekki shooting.
“In the final analysis, it is the government that should be blamed for the violence. We call for compensation for the working people, poor traders and the middle class whose property were destroyed.
“None of the main political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can deny that they drew their criminal gangs of political jobbers, especially during elections, from the hapless Nigerian citizens.
“The protests at different parts of the country underscore the depth of mass discontent against the government and the thieving capitalist elite in power following mass poverty and unemployment successive governments have engendered, despite the huge human and material resources of the country. This explains why the demands of the protesters advanced to ‘End Bad Governance’,” it added.
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