Criminalising Protest Akin to Returning Nigeria to Military Era, Says NANS

Victor Ogunje

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has described the alleged attempt to criminalise protests in the country as desperate efforts by the political leaders to return Nigeria to the military era.

The students’ body stated that staging of peaceful protests remains a great condiment for the building of democracy and human rights, adding that abridging such citizens’ right under any guise is alien to the ethos of constitutional democracy.

The National President of NANS, Sunday Asefon, revealed this in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, yesterday.

The NANS’ leader was reacting to a bill undergoing scrutiny in the House of Representatives, which allegedly targets the restraining of citizens from protesting in the country.

Asefon said the bill sponsored by Hon. Chinedu Martins of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Imo State was not only ridiculous, but unnecessary at a time elected representatives should concentrate on how to consolidate the gains of democracy and deepen the citizens’ freedom .

According to him, “NANS rejects any attempt in constitutionalising the criminality of protest and civil disobedience. This is a direct assault on the very tenant of democracy and the most fundamental freedom of citizens.

“This evil bill is a direct attempt to return our country back to dictatorship, where the citizens lack the right to protest and dissent. This bill will not and must not be passed.

“We will mobilise all our resources to see that this irrational bill die a natural death as no dictator or dictator wanna-be will be allowed to steal the gains of democracy and return us back to the dark days of dictatorship using democratic process.

“Protests and dissent in any developing democracy is a right of the citizens, and lawmakers should rather concentrate on sponsoring bills that will mandate security personnel to provide security to protesters to ensure protests are not hijacked by hoodlums.”

Asefon threatened that now that the bill was on the table, NANS will use the only instrument of dissent that the leaders and representatives understand, which is protest, to frustrate its passage.

“It is in the best interest of the sponsor of this bill to withdraw it or he should get ready to face the masses. The bill is not only useless, it is worthless than the paper it is written on,” the students’ leader said.