Real reason why I joined ‘Occupy Nigeria’ protests – Bakare

Written by Femi Akinola.

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Pastor Tunde Bakare is the General Overseer, Latter Rain Assembly in Lagos, Vice Presidential Candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) during the last general election and of Lagos-based Convener of Save Nigeria Group (SNG). Earlier in the week, Bakare addressed news men in Lagos on the one week fuel subsidy strike and disruption of continuation of the strike by military men. Excerpts.

What is your assessment of the five-day strike?

What we witnessed during the strike has shown that Nigerians are capable of taking their destiny in their own hands and that they have now understood the challenges before their country.  It was marvelous, because from day one of the strike, the number of Nigerians who converged on the Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota is unprecedented. Nobody paid anybody to come. People trekked from far and near in the metropolis to partake in the protest against the oil subsidy removal.

During the protest, we never incite anybody against the government or encourage breakdown of law and order as those in Abuja wanted the outside world to believe. We are not rabble-rousers. It is only crazy people who will encourage destruction of the little infrastructure that is left. We risk our lives in those five days. We spent our time, energy and resources to sensitize the public. Our musicians and artistes added glamour to the protest, because they brought life to the park. People came in thousands and showed their grievances against the removal of oil subsidy. The strike proved a defining moment, which a correct lesson must be learnt.

What is your response to the allegation that the SNG took advantage of the protest to overheat the polity?

We did not organize the protest to bring down government, but to kill corruption and not Nigeria. The moment the Supreme Court gave judgment on the suit filed by our party, it means everything is over.  We are still insisting on N65 pump price. The protest would have continued, if not that the NLC/TUC called –off the strike and the Federal Government sent troops to Lagos when the protest was on in Kano and Kaduna.

We were harassed, but not arrested as the report was circulated. They sent text messages all over the country to create fear and panic. We were harassed by unknown people through text messages, telling us not to sleep in our homes.   I have been sleeping in my house without any problem since the beginning of the strike. Our resolve is un shakable. We did not overheat the polity. We did not instruct anyone to burn effigies neither did we give anyone money to buy effigies to burn.

We will continue to feed Nigerians with the necessary information that is their right to know. One of the challenges before Nigerians is that we have put an emperor who is not accountable in power and we are calling for accountability. Instead, the government is flexing muscle against opposition; they do not need to shut down opposition.

What is your reaction to the Labour’s calling off of the strike?

We are very disappointed in the way the controlling leadership of the NLC/TUC has buckled in the knees without consulting the Save Nigeria Group and its allies and without achieving their resolution that reversal to N65 per litre shall be the basis for any negotiation. We out rightly reject the unilateral fixing of the pump price at N97 by the Federal Government upon which the controlling leadership of NLC/TUC threw a spanner in the wheel of people’s movement. It must not be lost on our patriotic people that if the decision is final, it is the proverbial eating of the humble pie. While the conduct of the controlling leadership of labour at the peak of the movement does not engender much confidence in their fidelity behind closed door, we still enjoy them to bring all negotiations with Belgore Committee to a close within a week. After that, they should report back to the people who still reserve the right to resume their protests if the negotiators compromise the essence of this popular action.

What will SNG do next?

We shall definitely enforce our rights in court to teach the regime the basic principles of civilized conduct in a democratic setting. We shall be heading to court soon to challenge the Federal Government on the violation of our rights to peaceful protest on Monday January 16, 2012 at the Gani Fawehinmi Park at Ojota. This violation is totally uncalled for, because before we rallied at the park, we sought the necessary permission from the Lagos State Government and wrote to notify Lagos State Commissioner of Police and asked him to provide protection. The policemen deployed to the park were mostly idle throughout the five days we spent at the park, as there was no breakdown of law and order.

Governor Babatunde Fashola, in rejecting the crude assault on our right to protest, acknowledged our peaceful conduct throughout our activities. And we agreed with him totally that if we had conducted ourselves otherwise, the police was the right body to deal with that and not soldiers who occupied the venue and subjected our people to harassment, corporal punishment and intimidation. It is unfortunate that this brutal dictatorship is taking place in a civilian dispensation. Nevertheless, we chose to be much more mature than the Federal Government by not allowing any ugly situation to be created at the park. We shall use the court to compel an investigation into how the Federal Government ended up spending N1.6 trillion as against the N240 billion budgeted for subsidy in 2011 fiscal year. We cannot sweep under the carpet the spending of over N1.3 trillion without appropriation by the National Assembly. We shall neither ‘move on’ on this matter until the full weight of the law comes on all those involved in this illegal spending. Nor shall we fold our hands if the Federal Government through the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) becomes both judge and jury in a matter involving government officials and their corporate cronies.

What is the relationship with organized labour?

It is a big shock to us that NLC/TUC backs down on the N65 pump price demand. It kills the spirit and enthusiasm of the people. We are disappointed about their action. As a mark of appreciation of the new found spirit of our people who demonstrated in the five days of peaceful protest at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, we shall be holding a victory rally at the same venue on Saturday (21st January 2012).

Our gratitude goes to good spirited Nigerians who without solicitation brought water and food to the crowd at Ojota as their own contribution to the nation building project. And to the greatest heroes of the movement who trekked several kilometers daily to show their resolve; we give our thump up. That the Federal Government could not stop the peaceful rallies all over Nigeria especially in Abuja, Kano and Kaduna where millions of our people trooped out on the same day the military occupied Ojota Freedom Park and other parts of Lagos state on the order of Federal Government is a complete demonstration of indomitable Nigerian spirit.

Written by Femi Akinola, Lagos Saturday, 21 January 2012 05:00

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Pastor Tunde Bakare is the General Overseer, Latter Rain Assembly in Lagos, Vice Presidential Candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) during the last general election and of Lagos-based Convener of Save Nigeria Group (SNG). Earlier in the week, Bakare addressed news men in Lagos on the one week fuel subsidy strike and disruption of continuation of the strike by military men. Excerpts.

What is your assessment of the five-day strike?

What we witnessed during the strike has shown that Nigerians are capable of taking their destiny in their own hands and that they have now understood the challenges before their country.  It was marvelous, because from day one of the strike, the number of Nigerians who converged on the Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota is unprecedented. Nobody paid anybody to come. People trekked from far and near in the metropolis to partake in the protest against the oil subsidy removal.

During the protest, we never incite anybody against the government or encourage breakdown of law and order as those in Abuja wanted the outside world to believe. We are not rabble-rousers. It is only crazy people who will encourage destruction of the little infrastructure that is left. We risk our lives in those five days. We spent our time, energy and resources to sensitize the public. Our musicians and artistes added glamour to the protest, because they brought life to the park. People came in thousands and showed their grievances against the removal of oil subsidy. The strike proved a defining moment, which a correct lesson must be learnt.

What is your response to the allegation that the SNG took advantage of the protest to overheat the polity?

We did not organize the protest to bring down government, but to kill corruption and not Nigeria. The moment the Supreme Court gave judgment on the suit filed by our party, it means everything is over.  We are still insisting on N65 pump price. The protest would have continued, if not that the NLC/TUC called –off the strike and the Federal Government sent troops to Lagos when the protest was on in Kano and Kaduna.

We were harassed, but not arrested as the report was circulated. They sent text messages all over the country to create fear and panic. We were harassed by unknown people through text messages, telling us not to sleep in our homes.   I have been sleeping in my house without any problem since the beginning of the strike. Our resolve is un shakable. We did not overheat the polity. We did not instruct anyone to burn effigies neither did we give anyone money to buy effigies to burn.

We will continue to feed Nigerians with the necessary information that is their right to know. One of the challenges before Nigerians is that we have put an emperor who is not accountable in power and we are calling for accountability. Instead, the government is flexing muscle against opposition; they do not need to shut down opposition.

What is your reaction to the Labour’s calling off of the strike?

We are very disappointed in the way the controlling leadership of the NLC/TUC has buckled in the knees without consulting the Save Nigeria Group and its allies and without achieving their resolution that reversal to N65 per litre shall be the basis for any negotiation. We out rightly reject the unilateral fixing of the pump price at N97 by the Federal Government upon which the controlling leadership of NLC/TUC threw a spanner in the wheel of people’s movement. It must not be lost on our patriotic people that if the decision is final, it is the proverbial eating of the humble pie. While the conduct of the controlling leadership of labour at the peak of the movement does not engender much confidence in their fidelity behind closed door, we still enjoy them to bring all negotiations with Belgore Committee to a close within a week. After that, they should report back to the people who still reserve the right to resume their protests if the negotiators compromise the essence of this popular action.

What will SNG do next?

We shall definitely enforce our rights in court to teach the regime the basic principles of civilized conduct in a democratic setting. We shall be heading to court soon to challenge the Federal Government on the violation of our rights to peaceful protest on Monday January 16, 2012 at the Gani Fawehinmi Park at Ojota. This violation is totally uncalled for, because before we rallied at the park, we sought the necessary permission from the Lagos State Government and wrote to notify Lagos State Commissioner of Police and asked him to provide protection. The policemen deployed to the park were mostly idle throughout the five days we spent at the park, as there was no breakdown of law and order.

Governor Babatunde Fashola, in rejecting the crude assault on our right to protest, acknowledged our peaceful conduct throughout our activities. And we agreed with him totally that if we had conducted ourselves otherwise, the police was the right body to deal with that and not soldiers who occupied the venue and subjected our people to harassment, corporal punishment and intimidation. It is unfortunate that this brutal dictatorship is taking place in a civilian dispensation. Nevertheless, we chose to be much more mature than the Federal Government by not allowing any ugly situation to be created at the park. We shall use the court to compel an investigation into how the Federal Government ended up spending N1.6 trillion as against the N240 billion budgeted for subsidy in 2011 fiscal year. We cannot sweep under the carpet the spending of over N1.3 trillion without appropriation by the National Assembly. We shall neither ‘move on’ on this matter until the full weight of the law comes on all those involved in this illegal spending. Nor shall we fold our hands if the Federal Government through the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) becomes both judge and jury in a matter involving government officials and their corporate cronies.

What is the relationship with organized labour?

It is a big shock to us that NLC/TUC backs down on the N65 pump price demand. It kills the spirit and enthusiasm of the people. We are disappointed about their action. As a mark of appreciation of the new found spirit of our people who demonstrated in the five days of peaceful protest at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, we shall be holding a victory rally at the same venue on Saturday (21st January 2012).

Our gratitude goes to good spirited Nigerians who without solicitation brought water and food to the crowd at Ojota as their own contribution to the nation building project. And to the greatest heroes of the movement who trekked several kilometers daily to show their resolve; we give our thump up. That the Federal Government could not stop the peaceful rallies all over Nigeria especially in Abuja, Kano and Kaduna where millions of our people trooped out on the same day the military occupied Ojota Freedom Park and other parts of Lagos state on the order of Federal Government is a complete demonstration of indomitable Nigerian spirit.