The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights, CDWR, has called for the unconditional release of some activists arrested by the Department of State Service, DSS at the nationwide protests.
Recall that some of the organisers of the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protest including Michael Adaramoye and Babatunde Oluajo were arrested by DSS.
The group in a statement on Tuesday, signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bosah Chinedu, commiserated with the families of those who lost their kinsmen during the protests.
The group lamented that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s nationwide broadcast of Sunday August 4, 2024 was a display of arrogance and insensitivity towards the harrowing plight and hardship of Nigerians.
It maintained that Tinubu used the broadcast to double down on his failed anti-people reform policies that have imposed monumental hardship on Nigerians.
“CDWR commiserates with the families of the injured and those whom security agents killed. We appeal to the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Nigerian Bar Association and other pro-masses organisations to openly condemn this ongoing repression of the protesters.
“CDWR at this moment demands the reversal of all anti-people policies including the reversal of petroleum prices to pre-May 2023 level; reversal of electricity tariff to pre-May 2023 rate; an end to the floating and devaluation of the Naira; an end to all neo-liberal and anti-people policies such as privatisation and deregulation of the power and oil and gas sectors; for free and quality education and healthcare; respect for democratic rights to freedom of protest and dissent etc.
“CDWR considers President Tinubu’s broadcast speech of Sunday August 4, 2024 as a display of arrogance and insensitivity towards the harrowing plight and hardship of Nigerians. He actually used the broadcast to double down on his failed anti-people reform policies that have imposed monumental hardship on Nigerians and tokenist programmes that make no real impact.
“Aside from the usual grandstanding, Tinubu did not address the demands of Nigerians put forward by the protesters. Since President Tinubu increased the price of petrol and electricity tariffs astronomically including the floating of the Naira (Naira devaluation) and hiked school fees, monstrous hardship has been imposed on Nigerians, crushing many Nigerians into deeper poverty and misery.
“The ideal expectation from a listening and sensitive president is to reverse all the anti-people reform policies but that did not come from Tinubu, typical of a capitalist leader who fully subscribes to neo-liberal program, as he arrogantly reiterated the continuation of these ruinous anti-people policies. President Tinubu’s speech also ignored the current repression of protesters by the security operatives”.
