A coalition of civil society organisations, labour activists, youth groups, community associations, and concerned Nigerians have declared June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day, a day of nationwide protest and mass action against worsening insecurity, widespread hunger, and deepening economic hardship across the country.
The coalition, which includes prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), musician and activist Falz (Folarin Falana), the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), the Joint Action Front (JAF), the Youth Rights Campaign (YRC), and several other groups, accused the Federal Government of failing to address the security and economic challenges confronting millions of Nigerians.
In a statement issued yesterday, the coalition said there was little for ordinary Nigerians to celebrate on Democracy Day as many citizens continued to grapple with insecurity, poverty, inflation, and declining living standards.
According to the groups, communities across the country remain under constant threat from terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and other criminal elements who continue to operate with impunity despite repeated assurances from government authorities that insecurity is being tackled.
The coalition expressed solidarity with families who have lost loved ones to terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping, and called for immediate government action to secure the release of Nigerians currently being held captive by criminal groups in various parts of the country.
The statement specifically mentioned victims of abductions in Oyo, Borno, Katsina, Kwara, Ekiti, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Niger states, as well as other parts of the federation affected by kidnapping and related crimes.
“The Nigerian people deserve a pro-people government that places the protection of lives and property at the core of governance,” the coalition said.
The groups Docs lamented that despite years of official assurances that insecurity was being defeated, attacks on communities continued unabated while farmers, students, and ordinary citizens remained vulnerable.
The coalition stated that the planned June 12 protest would form part of a broader campaign aimed at compelling the government to take urgent and meaningful steps to address insecurity and reverse what it described as anti-poor economic policies.
