Soyinka knocks police for plotting to scuttle anti-FG protest

Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, has berated the Nigerian police
for seeking to stop the protest planned by a musician, 2face
Idibia, against Federal Government alleged non-performance. He
described the police action as undemocratic.

Though 2face has backed down on the protest scheduled for Monday
(today) in Lagos citing security concern as reason, the National
Association of Nigerian Students, the Enough is Enough
group and a popular comedian, Olaseyitan Lawrence, popularly known
as Seyilaw, have said in spite of the musician’s action,
the protest would not be called off.

Soyinka’s position was contained in an article he sent to an
online medium, SaharaReporters, on Sunday.

The Nobel laureate, who said he had sent a message to the
Inspector-General of Police, through the Lagos State Commissioner
of Police, Fatai Owoseni, declared that  he was shocked to
learn from media reports that the office of the IG could issue a
statement stopping the protest.

He described the action as “a huge disappointment, a disservice
to the cause of democracy, tolerance of dissent, and principle of
inclusive governance.”

Soyinka said, “The police attempt to reverse the hands of the
democratic clock is even more appalling at a time when open
demonstrations are taking place all over the world against the
policies of a recently elected President of the United States,
(Donald Trump), whose democratic formula allegedly serves as
Nigeria’s adopted model. Across numerous states of that federated
nation, ongoing at this very moment, is the public expression of
rejection of a President’s policy that has also pitted the
executive against the judiciary. We have heard of no preventive
action by the police, or arrests of demonstrators.

“Again and again, efforts, both under military and civilian
orders have been made to stifle the rights to freedom of expression
by Nigerian governments – Buhari, Babangida, Obasanjo, Abacha,
Jonathan….and now again, Buhari? These efforts have been, and will
always be resisted. It is a moral issue, as old as settled
humanity. It has been settled in other parts of the world. Nigeria
cannot be an exception, not as long as her citizens refuse to
accept the designation of second, even third-rate citizens.”

Soyinka urged the police to respect the constitutional rights of
Nigerians.

He said, “I hope that, even at this eleventh hour, legality and
the democratic imperative will prevail. Finally, I shall be less
than honest if I do not add the following, mostly directed as a
warning to the very polity on whose behalf the democratic war is
joined, again and again:

“Minus a minuscule but highly voluble minority, mostly of
pitiably retarded polluters of the common zones of public
interventions, I do not know of any citizens of civilised community
who do not subscribe to the fundamental Right of the Freedom of
Expression in any form, as long as it is peaceful, and
non-injurious to humanity. I would hate to conclude that the
security agencies, or the government they serve, at this stage of
national development and recent history, would choose to align
themselves with such an unteachable minority.”

Meanwhile, Seyilaw has expressed his disappointment at
2face’s decision to opt out of the planned rally.

Seyilaw said though he understood 2face’s concern, he was not
deterred and “God knows I will still be at the stadium tomorrow
whether people gather there or not.

“I have a right to be at the stadium too,” Seyilaw
wrote on his Instagram page on Sunday.

Also, the Enough is Enough group, in a statement on
Sunday by its Executive Director, Yemi Adamolekun, insisted that it
would participate in the protest, which is scheduled to hold in
Lagos and Abuja, even though 2face, who invited the group to join
the protest, had on Saturday night said he was backing out based on
security concerns.

Adamolekun said, “2face Idibia (2Baba) informed us late last
night that ongoing conversations with security agencies have not
allayed his security concerns and so he had decided not to
participate in a physical protest. We thanked him for inviting us
when he first decided on this protest, and informed him that we
believe it is important, despite the risks, to continue with the
demands, for the sake of Nigerians who have put their trust in this
movement.”

Also, the Deputy Coordinator of NANS in the South-West, Mr.
Saheed Afolabi, who spoke with one of our correspondents on the
telephone on Sunday, said it was good that 2face came up with the
idea but his withdrawal from it would not stop those, who had
indicated their interest to participate from going ahead with the
protest.

However, the Chairman of the Civil Societies Coalition for
Emancipation of Osun State, Mr. Suleiman Adeniyi, said his group
would make its intention on the planned known later.

The post Soyinka knocks police for plotting to scuttle
anti-FG protest appeared first from online sources and was reposted by the community on Welcome to 9jalegal –
Nigeria’s Leading Legal Information and Services Portal.

Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, has berated the Nigerian police
for seeking to stop the protest planned by a musician, 2face
Idibia, against Federal Government alleged non-performance. He
described the police action as undemocratic.

Though 2face has backed down on the protest scheduled for Monday
(today) in Lagos citing security concern as reason, the National
Association of Nigerian Students, the Enough is Enough
group and a popular comedian, Olaseyitan Lawrence, popularly known
as Seyilaw, have said in spite of the musician’s action,
the protest would not be called off.

Soyinka’s position was contained in an article he sent to an
online medium, SaharaReporters, on Sunday.

The Nobel laureate, who said he had sent a message to the
Inspector-General of Police, through the Lagos State Commissioner
of Police, Fatai Owoseni, declared that  he was shocked to
learn from media reports that the office of the IG could issue a
statement stopping the protest.

He described the action as “a huge disappointment, a disservice
to the cause of democracy, tolerance of dissent, and principle of
inclusive governance.”

Soyinka said, “The police attempt to reverse the hands of the
democratic clock is even more appalling at a time when open
demonstrations are taking place all over the world against the
policies of a recently elected President of the United States,
(Donald Trump), whose democratic formula allegedly serves as
Nigeria’s adopted model. Across numerous states of that federated
nation, ongoing at this very moment, is the public expression of
rejection of a President’s policy that has also pitted the
executive against the judiciary. We have heard of no preventive
action by the police, or arrests of demonstrators.

“Again and again, efforts, both under military and civilian
orders have been made to stifle the rights to freedom of expression
by Nigerian governments – Buhari, Babangida, Obasanjo, Abacha,
Jonathan….and now again, Buhari? These efforts have been, and will
always be resisted. It is a moral issue, as old as settled
humanity. It has been settled in other parts of the world. Nigeria
cannot be an exception, not as long as her citizens refuse to
accept the designation of second, even third-rate citizens.”

Soyinka urged the police to respect the constitutional rights of
Nigerians.

He said, “I hope that, even at this eleventh hour, legality and
the democratic imperative will prevail. Finally, I shall be less
than honest if I do not add the following, mostly directed as a
warning to the very polity on whose behalf the democratic war is
joined, again and again:

“Minus a minuscule but highly voluble minority, mostly of
pitiably retarded polluters of the common zones of public
interventions, I do not know of any citizens of civilised community
who do not subscribe to the fundamental Right of the Freedom of
Expression in any form, as long as it is peaceful, and
non-injurious to humanity. I would hate to conclude that the
security agencies, or the government they serve, at this stage of
national development and recent history, would choose to align
themselves with such an unteachable minority.”

Meanwhile, Seyilaw has expressed his disappointment at
2face’s decision to opt out of the planned rally.

Seyilaw said though he understood 2face’s concern, he was not
deterred and “God knows I will still be at the stadium tomorrow
whether people gather there or not.

“I have a right to be at the stadium too,” Seyilaw
wrote on his Instagram page on Sunday.

Also, the Enough is Enough group, in a statement on
Sunday by its Executive Director, Yemi Adamolekun, insisted that it
would participate in the protest, which is scheduled to hold in
Lagos and Abuja, even though 2face, who invited the group to join
the protest, had on Saturday night said he was backing out based on
security concerns.

Adamolekun said, “2face Idibia (2Baba) informed us late last
night that ongoing conversations with security agencies have not
allayed his security concerns and so he had decided not to
participate in a physical protest. We thanked him for inviting us
when he first decided on this protest, and informed him that we
believe it is important, despite the risks, to continue with the
demands, for the sake of Nigerians who have put their trust in this
movement.”

Also, the Deputy Coordinator of NANS in the South-West, Mr.
Saheed Afolabi, who spoke with one of our correspondents on the
telephone on Sunday, said it was good that 2face came up with the
idea but his withdrawal from it would not stop those, who had
indicated their interest to participate from going ahead with the
protest.

However, the Chairman of the Civil Societies Coalition for
Emancipation of Osun State, Mr. Suleiman Adeniyi, said his group
would make its intention on the planned known later.

The post Soyinka knocks police for plotting to scuttle
anti-FG protest appeared first from online sources and was reposted by the community on Welcome to 9jalegal –
Nigeria’s Leading Legal Information and Services Portal.