A non-governmental group, Social Action has advocated constitutional reforms that will cover restructuring and resource control.
In a statement made available to The Tide by its Communications and Advocacy Manager, Lilian Akhigbe, it condemned the use of force against protesters and other forms of repressions against the populace.
It declared that, “The peaceful clamour for police reforms, as well as electoral , constitutional review, restructuring, resource control, the passage of the PIB into law, and other legitimate demands of the people, must never be misconstrued by the government or any segment of the society as an attempt to subvert the government or truncate the present political system”.
The body also condemned the deliberate use of the term “subversive” by the Federal Government in relation to young Nigerians whose #EndSARS street marches and sit-ins have been widely acclaimed to be peaceful and well-organised across the country, until it was hijacked by sponsored hoodlums.
It said, “we deem it highly condemnable for the government to regard peaceful protesters as subversives, as such a perception is capable of reinforcing the mistrust between the government and the citizens. In a democratic system of government where citizens have a constitutionally-guaranteed right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, such citizens and their supporters must never be treated as subversive elements when there is no evidence suggesting that the genuine, peaceful protesters had any intention to subvert or undermine the government in power. “
It urged government against actions that will threaten the freedom of the citizens and make legitimate demands to hold the government accountable.
In their words, “Government ought to encourage these young, patriotic Nigerians to engage in socio-political dialogues that could effectuate more citizens’ participation in governance”.
Adding that, “We strongly condemn the use of excessive force by some security operatives on peaceful protesters, in an attempt to quell the peaceful protests in several states across the country. This has led to the death of several persons, with some sustaining gunshot wounds; a situation that could have been averted with more proactive and suitable measures. “
Insisting that adherence to democratic norms is a responsibility of both the government and the governed, the body stressed that the rule of law allows all citizens of Nigeria to engage in political dialogue in order to demand for broader reforms in the governance of the country through extensive civic engagements.
The body urged that members of the society must be allowed the freedom to communicate their grievances to the government and influence public policies and programmes without delay, in order to prevent an escalation into violence.