by Leke Baiyewu
Some of the leaders of the January
anti-subsidy removal rally in Lagos have described President Goodluck
Jonathan as insincere over his claim that the mass protest against the
removal fuel subsidy was sponsored by a political class in the state.
The leaders, who spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH,
include the Convener, Save Nigeria Group, Pastor Tunde Bakare;
political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi and the first son of the late human
rights lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Mohammed.
Jonathan had last Tuesday exhumed the
controversy, when he alleged that the mass action, tagged; Occupy
Nigeria, and organised by civil society groups, was manipulated by an
unnamed class of people.
He had said, “Look at the demonstrations
back home; look at the areas these demonstrations are coming from, you
begin to ask, are these the ordinary citizens that are demonstrating? Or
are people pushing them to demonstrate?
“(During) The demonstration in Lagos,
people were given bottled water that people in my village don’t have
access to. People were given expensive food that the ordinary people in
Lagos cannot eat. So even going to eat free alone attracts people.
“They go and hire the best musicians to
come and play and the best comedian to come and entertain. Is that
demonstration? Are you telling me that that is a demonstration from
ordinary masses in Nigeria who want to communicate something to
government?
“I believe that that protest in Lagos was manipulated by a class in Lagos and was not from the ordinary people.”
In his reaction through a text message
to our correspondent, Bakare alleged that the President back-stabbed the
masses, that had influenced his emergence as late President Umaru
Yar’Adua’s successor.
He said, “One word is sufficient to
define the president’s thoughtless comment – bunkum. I hope he and his
handlers understand the full meaning of the word. In case they don’t, he
should supply the names of the imaginary sponsors.
“It is indeed true that the people that
observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. Human memory can be so
fickle. Otherwise, how can the same President Jonathan, who benefited
from the civil protests that birthed the “doctrine of necessity” which
cleared the way for him to become the acting president, now turns around
to blaspheme the same process that once benefited him.”
Also reacting, Utomi, in an interview
argued that there was nothing wrong with a protest against an
anti-people policy of a government, even if it was sponsored.
He said, “I don’t know if anything is
wrong, where the protest was sponsored. If the president understands
politics and democracy, then he will know that political parties can
organise and mobilise the masses for protests or public awareness
campaigns. These are tools and vehicles of politics.
“I can equally be referred to as a
sponsor of the protest because I led the professional bodies, which held
a rally in Ikoyi, Lagos. The President should know that the political
parties can organise public or mass action against a government that is
not doing the right thing.”
Similarly, Mohammed said civil society
groups were ready to take to the streets again, if government failed to
fulfil its promises to the people.
He said, “The President does not
understand governance or care about the feeling of the people. How can
any government increase the pump price when it is obvious that the
economy of the common man depends on petrol?
“Nigeria has what it takes to be one of
the greatest countries of the world but for lazy and incompetent
leadership. The government should think of the masses.”
Punch
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