A coalition of civil society organisations has concluded arrangements to hold a National Day of Action Against Insecurity and Governance Failure on Monday, 31st May, 2021 across the country, a press statement co-signed by human rights activist and lawyer, Comrade Femi Falana, SAN and Comrade Jaiye Gaskia, has revealed.
The coalition includes The Peoples Alternative Political Movement (TPAP-M) and its affiliates; organised labour, the Alliance On Surviving COVID 19 And Beyond (ASCAB) and its affiliates; the Joint Action Front (JAF) and its affiliates; Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) and its affiliates; Green Alliance Nigeria (GAN) and its affiliates; CONGOS-Edo and its affiliates; North East Development Coalition and its affiliates, and youth organisations from across the country, among several others.
The statement entitled; “Against Insecurity, Poverty and Hardship: A Call To Action,” noted that the multiple crises of insecurity measured in tens of millions of people being jobless, homeless, hopeless and going to bed hungry; abductions and kidnappings for ransom, of tens of thousands being killed, maimed and millions of displaced people and the general anomie arising from rapacious acts of rampaging hordes of armed criminal gangs and armed insurgents are direct results “of the crass failure of the ruling class in Nigeria to govern in the interest of the masses” as well as “a direct consequence of the inability of the ruling class to ensure the delivery of accessible, affordable, available and quality basic social services.”
While noting the existential threat to citizens and the nation which combined to make life of the average Nigerian and the working people to “become short and brutish,” the coalition stated that these multiple challenges are rooted in the failure to deliver services leading to the “worsening deterioration in the conditions of living of the people.
“It is the reason why those most impacted by the hopelessness, alienation, hunger, anger and dehumanising situation have been drawn to and embraced varying degrees of acts of criminality across the country.”
The coalition further stated that “although, we are convinced that this ruling class is incapable of adequately and transformatively addressing these crises of its creation, nevertheless, as the class in power, we insist that it is its responsibility to ensure and provision the security and welfare of the people; demand that it takes immediate steps to end these interwoven scourge; and Demand that it steps down from power, if it is unable or unwilling, or incapable of tackling the situation.
“As a broad-based Pan-Nigeria coalition of patriotic citizen’s organisations, we offer a different vision and approach to governance, one that is based and will be built on the democratic and organised self-activity of the popular masses.
“In reality, without the working masses of Nigeria taking political power, and the control of the economy under democratic management and ownership of the working people and labouring masses, the challenges of meeting and provisioning the security, welfare and basic needs of the people cannot be fully addressed, nor can the conditions of living and existence of the people and the country be radically and qualitatively transformed.
“In the meantime, we call on our people to take our destinies into our own hands, and embark on a series of Mass Actions, whose immediate aim is to compel an incompetent and irresponsible government and ruling class, to fulfil its constitutional duty to protect citizens, and secure the person, properties and livelihoods of the people.
“Towards this end, we are calling for and making preparations towards a National Day Of Action against insecurity and hardships, and are launching a campaign to put an end to this twin scourge.
“The National Day of Action Against Insecurity and Governance Failure, is scheduled for Monday, 31st of May, 2021.
“We call on the working peoples and the labouring masses of Nigerians to actively participate in this Mass Action and in the campaign.
“We call on and invite the active solidarity of the workers and impoverished masses all over the world, in our struggle to achieve our social emancipation.”
