By Emeka Nwokocha
A front line human rights defender and nongovernmental organisation, Citizens Rights Concern Enhancement Initiative (CRCEI) also known as Human Rights Protection Congress, has charged Nigerians, especially youths to shun acts of violence whenever they embark on a peaceful protest to express their grievance over harsh government policies that tend to punish and subject the citizens to unbearable hardship.
CRCEI gave the charge in a statement signed by the group’s National Coordinator, Deacon Monday Enudi, on Sunday 28 July, 2024, in Warri, Delta State, in the wake of the planned upcoming nationwide protest against worsening hunger and hardship battering the citizens in recent times.
The statement reads in part:
“Against the backdrop of the worsening high cost of living and the attendant hunger and hardship that have become the lot of Nigerians in recent times, Citizens Rights Concern Enhancement Initiative (CRCEI) strongly supports the planned peaceful protests by patriotic Nigerians aiming to compel the government of the day to prioritize the welfare of the citizens and give them a sense of belonging in the Nigerian democratic government.
“We unequivocally state that peaceful protest is a fundamental democratic right of the Nigerian citizens as enshrined in the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria (as amended).
“In that light, we call on Nigerians, especially youths to conduct themselves in a civil and dignified manner as they file out in their numbers to express their grievances against harsh economic policies of the Nigerian government.
“In the same vein, we call on the security agents to maintain the highest standard of professionalism in managing protest; and they should respect the sacrosanctity of rule of law in its entirety.”
The statement further stated, “All hands must be on deck to protect our nascent democracy and promote good governance in all tiers of government, through active citizens participation and unrelenting interrogation of anti-people policies through the channels of peaceful protests and constructive criticisms.”
CRCEI reiterated, “we seriously call on the Nigeria police to provide adequate security and protection for the protesters as long as the protest will last, to ward off hoodlums who might be on the prawl to cause violence and thwart the good cause of the peaceful protest,” the statement added.
