PeakNews Online
A coalition of civil society organizations in Kano State has announced their intention to continue with a planned protest against bad governance in the state.
Operating under the aegis of the Nigeria Patriotic Front, Northern Chapter, the coalition declared their commitment during a press conference at the NUJ press center in Kano.
“We are ready to die… our children are already dying at home,” they declared, highlighting the severity of the current governance and economic crisis in Nigeria, which they attribute to the administration of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the past 15 months.
Anas Adamu, speaking on behalf of the coalition, criticized the government’s neoliberal economic policies, citing steep increases in petrol prices, devaluation of the Naira, rising bank interest rates, rampant inflation, and widespread corruption among the political elite and their corporate associates. He emphasized the high cost of public governance and the resulting hardship, hunger, and starvation faced by the masses.
“The political class is running the government as a money-making venture,” Adamu stated, “and we, the undersigned groups, are left with no option but to provide leadership and announce our unflinching support and active roles in promoting the proposed August 1 protest against bad governance in Nigeria.”
The coalition’s demands include a reduction in petrol prices to their pre-Tinubu rates of N160 to N200, arguing that the current rates of N720 to N1000+ are unaffordable for even the middle class. They also called for a review of gas prices, which they claim are manipulated by monopolies owned by the president and his associates, as well as a reduction in the costs of food items, house rent, and electricity tariffs.
Further demands include lowering central and commercial bank interest rates from the current 27-37% to more affordable limits to stimulate domestic production and growth of small and medium enterprises. They also called for a drastic cut in the salaries and allowances of all political officeholders to match civil service levels and urged the government to recover and restore public resources stolen by top officials since 1999.
The coalition assured that their protest would be peaceful and consistent with the rights enshrined in the 1999 constitution. They urged the people of Kano and Nigeria to come out in their numbers on August 1 to exercise their right to protest against bad governance at all levels. They also reassured business owners that the protest would not take place near any markets or business areas, ensuring the safety of their property.
