#EndSARS: Another Round Of Protests Will Worsen Nigeria’s Dire Situation – Yahaya Bello

Yahaya Bello, Kogi governor, has implored youth in the country to shelve their plan of embarking on another round of protests against police brutality.

Reacting to reports that protesters are returning to the streets in some cities to reactivate the campaign against police brutality, Bello said the country can’t afford to go through another wave of protests.

In October, many citizens trooped to the streets across Nigeria to express their displeasure at the actions of the police and also demand for good governance.

However, what started as a peaceful protest spiralled out of control and degenerated into a full blown melee when hoodlums started attacking protesters.

Subsequentl, the hoodlums went ahead to unleash violence on citizens. Public and private property was looted and destroyed in the process.

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Bello said another round of demonstrations would aggravate the critical situation of the country and worsen its many challenges.

He noted another wave of demonstration is not only premature but also counterproductive, adding that the country’s security architecture is overstretched and in a fragile position.

The governor said the youth should build on the gains the protest by making their presence felt in various judicial panels of inquiry set up by the various state governments.

“In the face of all this and as the first sitting governor who publicly upheld the rights of our youths to protest against police brutality, I cannot in all good conscience agree that the time is ripe for another round of #EndSARS protests,” he said.

“I deem another round of #EndSARS protests to be premature and counter-productive at this time. Apart from the higher likelihood of conflict with the police earlier canvassed, we must also admit that the security situation in the country is very precarious at the moment.

“All patriots must therefore make conscious efforts not to degrade a parlous security situation further. Nationwide protests at this time will only overburden the load-bearing capabilities of our security architecture increasing the likelihood of total collapse. No matter the narrative, I doubt that out-of-control anarchy is an objective of the #EndSARS protests.”

Also Read: #EndSARS: Police Vow To Quash Any Protests In Lagos

Bello said the youth should note that the country’s economy is yet to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To worsen matters, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) predicted 3 days ago that the pandemic could push the number of people living in extreme poverty to over 1 billion by 2030. Thank God they are owning up to my earlier prediction, warning and caution,” he said.

“Nigeria’s earning and foreign exchange situation is too fragile as we speak to resist sustained shocks.

“Another nationwide protest will worsen the multidimensional poverty indices all over our country and work greater hardship on the ordinary Nigerians we claim to be advocating for.”

The governor added that anger at “social imbalances or poor governance manifested only through protests, whether peaceful or violent, will only achieve piecemeal objectives”.