•Femi Falana, SAN
Human rights lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, has called on President Bola Tinubu to address the demands of the peaceful protesters.
In a statement today, Falana said the presidential speech delivered this morning faliled short of addressing the key demands of the protesters, reports Sunday PUNCH.
Recall that in a nationwide broadcast today, the President addressed the nation amid #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests, which began on August 1.
Protesters have made several demands, which include a return of fuel subsidies, improvements in living standards, cuts in the cost of governance, reduction in electricity tariffs, and solutions to escalating insecurity, among others.
Falana said, “If the government takes the fight against corruption to oil dealers and crude oil is processed in government-owned refineries, there will be no basis for fuel subsidy, which is induced by the importation of petroleum products. A positive response to the key demands of the youths to review the protesters could make them review their actions. Insensitivity to their demands can only provoke continued action.”
While congratulating the protesters for drawing the attention of politicians who are eating in Abuja to the plight of millions of Nigerians who are hungry, Falana demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all protesters that were arrested and detained saying they had not committed any criminal offence.
Falana also condemned the repression of the peaceful protesters while commiserating with all those who lost loved ones in the protest.
He called on the government to set up commissions of inquiry to bring to justice those responsible for the reckless killings.
“We commiserate with the families of the patriots’ peaceful protesters that were killed and call on the federal and state governments to set up Commissions of Inquiry, which should include representatives of credible human rights organisations and the NBA to investigate the killings with a view to bringing to justice prosecute the reckless murderers in Police uniform and ensuring that.
“The family members of the deceased should be adequately compensated by the federal government. The victims of the barbarous police killings should be identified and celebrated as heroes and heroines of the struggle for the emancipation of the downtrodden Nigerian people. Participation in peaceful protests should never be criminalised in Nigeria.”
