Northern Group To Join #EndBadGovernance Protest

Oluwatobi OdeyinkaJuly 24, 20241 Mins read143

The Northern Comrades Movement of Nigeria (NCMN) has said it will be joining the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest starting on August 1st. The group, which described itself as a non-partisan movement, said it is aggrieved about the scale of insecurity in the Northern region.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the group demanded an improvement in governance, economic empowerment and effective institutional reforms.

The statement read partly, “The current state of the North and the country is unacceptable with insecurity as a daily occurrence in our lives today, youths have become an abandoned constituency without opportunities leading to banditry, kidnapping and other social vices in the region, fuel scarcity and skyrocketing prices of goods and services are three times higher than they were four years ago, our currency is becoming worthless in value, millions of Nigerians are facing starvation due to rising food prices and scarcity, intimidation of rights, including freedom of speech and association has become the subject of the day.

“As youths, we are catalysts of change and we must protest in order to call the attention of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under this administration.”

The National Chairman of NCMN, Mal. Jabir Ibrahim Yaro who was quoted in the statement, vowed that the group would demonstrate courage and resist intimidation.

“The planned nationwide protests against hardship is a fight for the rescue of our democracy.” He added.

The #EndBadGovernance protest is a nationwide peaceful demonstration being planned by Civil Society Organisations and concerned youth groups to protest against hunger, corruption, and bad governance, among others.

President Bola Tinubu has pleaded for the suspension of the protest while his aides have threatened pushback. However, citizens have vowed not to back out.

On Wednesday, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun warned against violent protests. He specifically warned against a repeat of the #EndSARS protests in October 2020.

He said, “Some groups of people, self-appointed crusaders and influencers have been strategising and mobilising potential protesters to unleash terror under the guise of replicating the recent Kenya protest. While the force acknowledges the right to peaceful protest as enshrined in our constitution, we must ensure that this protest does not snowball into violence or disorder.”

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