Democracy is a product of protests, CLO tells FG

The Director, Civil Liberty Organization (CLO), Comrade Steve Aluko, has warned the three tiers of governments not to infiltrate the August 1 to August 1o protest across the country.

Aluko said the best the government should do during the national protest is to listen to Nigerians with intention to take positive and practical steps towards addressing all complains to be raised by the protesters.

The activist gave the warning while speaking in Jos, Plateau State capital, on Sunday.

He said, “One responsible thing that government must prove in this protest is that they must prove they are under a democratic government and not in a dictatorship.

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“Governments must therefore avoid the temptation of using state machinery to suppress the peaceful protest, government must be careful not to drive the process into violence. Government must learn to do something different from what they did during the EndSARS protest when the instrumentality of state was unleashed by government.

“The best is for government to be a listening, sensitive and responsible government while the protest lasts. Government should avoid sponsoring paid agitators to infiltrate the peaceful exercise. This democracy is a product of protest and it must so be respected and accepted.

“Nigerians are tired of experiencing policy summersaults, and unprogressive government policies and programs. We are all victims of mass inflation, hyper-inflation, bad governance and lack of dividends of democracy.

“So, I can assure you that the CLO is more than ready to come out and exercise their rights and freedom to protest on absence of social security in this regime. It is left for government to listen to the reasons for the protest and be ready to address those issues.

“In the first place the protest is instigated by all the three tiers of government because they have failed to provide dividends of democracy they promised the people. We are equally advocating that everyone participating in the protest must be civilise because this is a civil movement, it must be peace and non-violent.”