Thirteen of the nation’s prominent civil society organisations (CSOs) have said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has not utilised the ongoing nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest to better the lot of his administration.

This is contained in a joint statement by the leaders of the organisations.

There has been a nationwide hunger/hardship protests since Thursday August 1, precipitated by the sudden removal of fuel subsidy by President Tinubu in his 29 May 2023 inaugural address.

The protest now in its sixth day had resulted in reported killing of dozens of protesters and many others injured, by security operatives, amidst knocks against the federal government handling of the protests.

“Unfortunately, he (President Tinubu) did not address the core demands of Nigerians across the country who are calling for good governance and immediate change from the downward trend in accountability and social development,” the CSOs said.

They are Accountability Lab Nigeria, BudgIT Foundation, Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria #FixPolitics, Global Rights, Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), Sesor Empowerment Foundation, TechHer, Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) and Yiaga Africa.

They said that in the 38-paragraph speech, President Tinubu highlighted some of the government’s policies to course-correct the economy largely in the medium to long term.

“He also failed to acknowledge that the security force’s response to protesters had resulted in the extra-judicial killing of several protesters, and missed the opportunity to assure the nation that their perpetrators will be held accountable.

“The Nigerian government must not forget that “Sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria, from whom government, through this Constitution, derives all its powers and authority.” Section 14(2)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), thus it is imperative to engage citizens from the perspective of their needs within their stated demands,” the CSOs said.

They noted that except for increased investment in agriculture and student loan disbursements, the demands that require process were ignored completely, being protect farms and farmers; Human capital development; Electoral reform; Establish a living wage; and Constitutional and judicial reforms.

They said, “The President has expressed the government’s openness to dialogue with protesters on these demands. It is therefore our candid advice that this is pursued by officials and representatives of both sides with sincerity of purpose.

“This should begin with an immediate release of all arrested peaceful protesters and sanctions against security agents who attacked unharmed peaceful protesters. We remind the government that should security forces continue to aggravate protesters, it may become difficult to broker dialogue.

“It is our recommendation that representatives of the National Peace Committee and reputable civil society groups serve as facilitators and observers of this dialogue process and its outcomes.

“The protesters have said they will continue their peaceful demands on the streets until Saturday, August 10.

We urge the federal government to concede the low-hanging requests as a reassurance of its commitment to citizen-centered governance and leadership,” they added. (Daily Trust)

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