The pan-national initiative also condemned the clampdown on protesters by President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, saying it was a show of “a new and expanding reservoir of frustrations, grievances and dismay arising from the insensitivity and daring foolishness of the Nigerian Government”.
Richard Inoyo, Country Director of Citizens Solution Network, in a statement on Thursday urged Nigerians not to be deterred from seeking justice from the government.
Inoyo said, “This sudden rise in autocratic policy-actions taken by the central government with the objective of clamping down and intimidating not just yesterday protesters but to deter future participants; is building new tension and generating great concern from diverse quarters.
“In light of this, I join the rest of conscionable Nigerians to condemn these tyrannical moves of the national government to deny us our extant right to express our frustrations and displeasure against this cold and callous government that have continuously implemented anti-masses policies which in turn have long led to the current rise of prices of goods, services and cost of living across the country with millions of Nigerians unjustly kicked into the gutters of cut-throat poverty and unprecedented hardship.
“Today, I reject both the terrifying terror unleashed by this Buhari regime and the missensical justification propagated by this anti-social government and its payroll gangs.
“Let it be on public registry and national dossier that the entire Civilian Council and Elder Panel of Citizens Solution Network condemn in totality with the strongest terms the current terror of this regime aimed at intimidating civic actors, terrifying Nigerian youth and undermining the fundamental right of the generality of Nigerians to speak up against the rise of draconian, evil and anti-citizen policies of this insensitive regime.”
Stressing that nothing can deter the organisation from speaking up against “these government-led injustices”, the group added that it will be joining other civil society organisations to stage nationwide protest to demand the Buhari government “ends its current attack on our fundamental human right, and the end of its policy-set that is torturing millions of Nigerians in form of rising inflation”.
