#EndBadGovernance: We will engage FG with pan Nigerian movement – CSOs 

The Oyo state Coalition of Civil Society Organizations against Hardship Monday said there is need for a Pan-Nigerian Movement to engage the President Bola Tinubu -led administration to accede to their demands.

Addressing a world press conference at the University of Ibadan gate through Professor  Ademola Aremu, the coalition hinted that ensuring this shall commence immediate discussion and engagement with Nigeria working people and youth, especially the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the media and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

Insisting that the protest will not stop until President Tinubu is ready to meet its demands, the coalition noted that the president did not attend to any of the demands by Nigerians in the Sunday morning broadcast by President Tinubu but rather the usual rhetoric.

“As far as we are concerned, the national broadcast is just a mere justification for all of the neo-liberal policies responsible for the huge scale of pain and pangs Nigeria working people are going through at the present time,” he said. 

The coalition added: “Asides this, we note that none of the planned projects enumerated in the national broadcast has the potential to bring any significant relief and respite to the masses of the Nigeria working people. 

“All achievements highlighted in the national broadcast failed to individually and collectively translate into any meaningful improvement in the life of the working people across the country.

“This is an indication that President Tinubu-led government will not be willing to accede and attend to any of the demands of our coalition except if it is challenged with struggle which is well drawn, determined and well-coordinated. Beyond the current ‘end bad governance protest’ we require a bigger, broader and disciplined movement of the working people and youth for a better Nigeria.  

“It is in the light of this, we shall commence immediate discussion and engagement with Nigeria working people and youth especially our allies like the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the media, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), towards building a pan-Nigerian movement of the working people that will be determined and prepared to challenge Tinubu -led administration and force it to accede to our demands”.

Prof Aremu said the demands of the coalition included “Immediate reversal of all of the anti-poor policies, specifically the pump price of petrol to N197,  immediate repositioning of all of the public refineries and end to importation of petroleum products’,  immediate reversal of the decision to hike the electricity tariff and renationalisation of the power sector under the control and management of the elected representatives of the working people. 

Professor Aremu listed other demands as, “Political office holders should be placed on the salary and allowance earned by the civil servants, Nigeria Police and armed forces must be accorded the right to form and belong to trade union for adequate defense of their economic rights, free education at all levels as constitutionally guaranteed and reversal of current regime of fee-hike across the Nigeria public tertiary institutions, a national minimum living wage which is constitutionally guaranteed, which rises as inflation rises,  the national leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC) and Trade Union Congress ( TUC) should convene a joint National Executive Committee meeting to declare a 48-hour nationwide strike and street protest to support the hunger protest.”