Nigerian Women demand action and justice!

• Insist Police must protect peaceful protesters, refrain from using force against citizens

Press Statement

9th August 2024

PRESIDENT TINUBU’S SPEECH, PROTEST AGAINST HUNGER WOMEN DEMAND ACTION AND INJUSTICE

Ladies and gentlemen of the press,

1. Womanifesto , a body of over 300 women rights activists, advocates , professional groups and organizations, are gathered here today to demand for accountability and good governance devoid of harassment and intimidation of ordinary citizens making legitimate demands.
2. As working professionals, thought leaders, human rights advocates and women, we identify with the suffering of Nigerians fuelled by high inflation, low purchasing power, high cost of electricity and fuel as well as wasteful spending by governments at federal, state and local government levels.
3. Nigerians are tired,hungry and disgruntled.We stand before you today as women, human rights advocates, and citizens deeply concerned about the state of our nation following the recent #EndBadGovernance protests.
   We came with high expectations for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s speech, hoping it would address the urgent demands voiced by Nigerians during these demonstrations. Unfortunately, the President’s speech fell short, merely glossing over the critical issues that need immediate attention.
4. The President’s speech failed to adequately address the clamour for security, government accountability, the rising hunger crisis, surging inflation rates that are crippling Nigerians’ ability to survive, and the violent repression of peaceful protesters, which tragically resulted in the loss of lives. As a nation, we cannot accept this level of disregard for our citizens’ well-being.
5. Citizens of Nigeria have the constitutional right to peaceful demonstrations, and it is the government’s duty to protect these citizens. The pre-protest announcements by the police and DSS identifying potential threats and riot points make it unfathomable that protesters were left unprotected and subjected to violence by the very forces meant to safeguard them. The footage we have seen, including the brutalization of a defenseless man in a wheelchair by police officers, is harrowing and unacceptable. There must be accountability for these actions.
6. The President’s promise to provide 100,000 housing units over the next three years is inadequate in addressing the housing emergency Nigeria faces. With 25 million Nigerians currently homeless, according to Habitat for Humanity’s 2024 estimates, this proposal does not reflect the severity of the crisis. At this rate, it would take 750 years to provide housing for the homeless, a timeline that is simply unacceptable.
7. While the idea behind student loans is commendable, the current financial realities make it imperative to reevaluate their effectiveness. Federal and state universities now charge exorbitant fees, often exceeding N500,000, with arbitrary increases further straining already burdened families. The situation is similarly dire in secondary and primary schools. The government must address this by establishing uniform and moderate tuition fees across state and federal universities to prevent a wave of dropouts due to financial hardship. It will be difficult for parents abd guardian who may earn 70,000 Naira minimu wage to sustain the education in a rentier state.
8. The President mentioned the release of N570 billion to states to tackle food insecurity and provide welfare support. However, there is a lack of transparency regarding which ministry is handling these funds and how they are allocated across states. Accountability must be ensured, both at the federal and state levels. Additionally, the mystery surrounding the “security votes” allocated to governors must be dispelled, and detailed accounts of these funds must be made public.
9. We expect that government at this critical stage must ensure that policies must have human faces, we cannot afford to run the government without adequate data , to understand the depth of our problems of food , housing and other basic needs.
   We cannot go into reform without even understanding the extent of our population and their capacity for taking care of their basic needs to be able to design appropriate social nest that can take care of the concerns and conditions of the people.
10. Nigerians must live with dignity , fear of unknown and neglect have made this impossible . The current government relationship with economic policies that in the past has led to hardship for Nigerians like SAP makes it difficult to bring Nigerians out of poverty.
11. Current situation has therefore made it compelling for the government to rethink governance , re arrange its structures to meet the need of the people tor else hunger protest will never end . It’s imperative for the government to reassess his policies on subsidy removal, Forex, agriculture, security , gender equity and youth unemployment .
12. We call on government to be more prudent by cutting down the size and excesses of its structure to allow for more efficient spending, rather the government has focused on more appointments than cutting the size, this will not work for the country now or in future .
13. We are also deeply troubled by the hijacking of peaceful protests, which led to riots in several states. The country is no doubt fragile, and such is an indication of possible threats to an ailing nation. While we unequivocally support the right to peaceful demonstrations, we condemn the violence that has erupted. The Inspector General of Police must identify and hold accountable those responsible for these conflicts.
14. Moreover, the sight of Russian flags in these protests raises concerns about external influences and manipulation, likely taking advantage of the widespread illiteracy and unemployment in Northern Nigeria. The government must take deliberate attempt to address the youth unemployment, literacy issues and poverty across the country
    We call on the police to approach this situation with caution and discernment, ensuring justice for those who have been exploited.
15. As protests continue across the nation, we urge the Inspector General of Police to refrain from using force against citizens, to protect peaceful protesters, and to maintain order. The police and DSS must also provide a full and public account of all those arrested, ensuring that investigations are conducted swiftly and fairly, with the innocent being released immediately. We call for immediate release of Babatunde Oluajo and the other 4 arrested with him and …..LP lady alleged to have been arrested .
16. We acknowledge the importance of dialogue and recognize the government call in this regard but such call must be seen with sincerity that is desired .

Our Demands

In light of the issues raised, we put forward the following demands:

• Accountability for Police Violence: We demand immediate action to hold the police officers involved in the violence against peaceful protesters accountable. There must be a transparent investigation, and those responsible must face the full weight of the law.
• Housing Crisis Response: The government must urgently revise its housing strategy to reflect the real needs of Nigerians. We demand an emergency plan to address the housing deficit, with a target to significantly reduce homelessness within a realistic timeframe.
• Education Reform: We call on the federal and state governments to implement uniform and moderate tuition fees across all public universities to prevent students from dropping out due to financial hardships.
• Transparency in Food Security Funds: The federal government must immediately publish a detailed report on the N570 billion allocated to states for food security and welfare support, including a breakdown of the funds disbursed to each state and the specific uses of these funds.
• Publication of Security Vote Expenditure: We demand that all state governors immediately publish detailed accounts of how much they have received in security votes and how these funds have been spent.
• Justice for Victims of Protest Hijacking: The Inspector General of Police must identify and prosecute those responsible for inciting violence during the protests. Additionally, the manipulation of vulnerable citizens in these conflicts must be thoroughly investigated, with justice served for those exploited.
• Protection of Peaceful Protesters: The Inspector General of Police must ensure that all ongoing protests are protected, that force is not used against peaceful protesters, and that confusionists are brought to order. The police and DSS must also publish the full names of all those arrested during the protests, with a commitment to speedy and fair investigations.

Security: More pragmatic and intentional approach towards addressing insecurity, banditry abd kidnapping across Nigeria

We stand firm in our commitment to justice and the protection of the rights of all Nigerians. The time for accountability is now, and we will continue to monitor the government’s response to these critical issues.

Thank you.

Co-Conveners of
Womanifesto