Protests Legitimate But Not Excuse For Anarchy In A Democracy, Says IMPI

The Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI) has condemned how some individuals and groups are laying the groundwork for anarchy while claiming to be protesting peacefully.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju, the policy analyst group stated that, while protests are acceptable in a democracy, no government will tolerate a call to anarchy, riots, disruption of public peace, intentional violence, or destruction of private or public property.

A peaceful protest is typically organised, orderly, and nonviolent. The Policy Group advised that the situation should be orderly, with protesters not expected to lose control or resort to criminal behaviour.

IMPI stated: “For several weeks, we have quietly watched as some individuals and groups mobilised for what they call ’10 days of rage,’ beginning August 1.
“Their mode of preparation, as evidenced by their actions and speech, suggests that they are bracing for riots, chaos, and violence, which are antithetical to peaceful protest.

“Engagement in peaceful protest as a means of reducing the cost of living in this country should be viewed through the lens of actions taken to improve whatever conditions are deemed unpalatable.

“Interestingly, while some were mobilising for the protest, President Bola Tinubu’s administration continued to implement policies and programmes aimed at mitigating the effects of the global cost of living crisis as it affected the country.

“Rather than acknowledge that the administration had not been sitting idly or ignoring the need to provide succour for the people, a group of disgruntled elements who will not settle for anything less than anarchy had continued to use the social media space to direct mutiny and rebellion against the government, ostensibly for political reasons.

“A close look at the list of demands reveals that what they called a protest against the cost of living crisis is actually a call to anarchy in the short term and regime change in the long run.

“We wonder how a protest normally aimed at drawing the attention of the government to economic issues, if the claim of lowering living costs is true, should include, among other things, giving Nigeria a new constitution through a Sovereign National Conference and releasing the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, who is on trial before a court of competent jurisdiction, among others.

“How can anyone rationalise President Tinubu’s call to abolish the Senate, approve a N250,000 minimum wage, and conduct a ‘immediate reconstitution of the electoral body, INEC?

“Many of the demands are beyond the President’s powers, so we see the protest as an opportunistic attempt by conflict entrepreneurs and power mongers to capitalise on the cost-of-living crisis to wage a war of attrition and insurrection against a duly elected government.”

“We urge Nigerians to see the protest call as nothing more than a call to anarchy because we honestly do not see how the federal government could meet the demands.”

IMPI also poked holes in the narrative that the Tinubu administration is doing nothing to help citizens.

“While we acknowledge that economic reforms have resulted in some hardship, it is not true that the administration has not responded to these issues.

“Some of the initiatives include reducing the number of taxes from 60 to 10, as well as eliminating withholding tax for businesses with an annual turnover of N25 million.”

“There is also a N36 billion Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) cost-effective alternative to petrol for mass transit, which will see the introduction of 30,000 CNG-powered vehicles, as well as a one-time N10 billion allocation to all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory for bus procurement under the National Support and Infrastructure Programme.

“To stem the tide of rising food inflation, President Tinubu recently approved a 150-day duty-free window for food imports while also implementing measures to boost local food production.

“And for the youth population, there is a historic Student Loan Scheme that is up and running, and the reinvigorated National Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) will be rolled out in a few days to put N110 billion in the hands of young business owners,” the IMPI added.