Members of the foremost Rights group, Committee For Defence Of Human Rights (CDHR) both the national and Delta state branch, yesterday defied the tight security presence in the state to stage a peaceful #EndBadGovernance protest along the popular Deco Road, off Okumagba Avenue in the heart of Warri South Local Government area.
Addressing journalists on behalf of the over 80 placards and banners carrying members during the protest, CDHR national President, Comrade (Dr) Kehinde Prince Taiga, lamented how the members of the civil society groups in the state betrayed the people by compromising the planned protest for pecuniary gains.
He however insisted that no amount of security intimidation and harassments can stop the people from expressing their displeasure over hunger and impoverishment occasioned by bad governance and mismanagement of the nation’s resources by few disgruntled politicians currently occupying public offices.
While reeling out some of the plights of Nigerians to include; hunger, high cost living due to subsidy removal, youths unemployment, insecurity, bad road networks, high inflation rates, high exchange rates, poor educational standards, inadequate health care system and infrastructural decay, Taiga, attributed all these to leadership failure and corrupt politicians.
The speech of CDHR national President read in part; “It is with a heavy heart that we witness the escalating cost of living, which has plung millions into poverty and despair. The government’s failure to address these critical issue with the urgency they demand is unacceptable. We call on our leaders to immediately tal practical and time bound steps to alleviate the economic burdens that have becom unbearable for ordinary citizens. The prices of basic necessities have skyrocketed, making impossible for families to make ends meet. This must be addressed now. Furthermore, the integrity of our electoral process remains in question”.
“We demand comprehensive electoral reforms to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections. Our democracy can only thrive if the will of the people is genuinely reflected in the outcomes of our elections, and that is why we are demanding the immediate amendment of the electoral act 2023 as amended to mandate our electoral umpire INEC to only use electronic powered iRev for the collation and immediate transmission of results to a secured server”.
“And that any center, local government or state that their results in their server is tampered with, the REC involve should face justice”
“Education is the backbone of any progressive society, yet our schools are grossly underfunded. We demand an increase in budgetary allocations for education to ensure that our children receive the quality education they deserve. It is only through proper education that we can equip the next generation to build a better Nigeria, we therefore demand a stop to creation of new tertiary institutions (which many of the governors has turned to avenue to getting more funding from TETFUND that they can mismanage and squander)”.
“While we strongly focus on the ones available. Our schools must be adequately funded, our teachers properly compensated, and our children equipped with scholarships and tools they need to succeed in a competitive world”.
“The cost of governance in Nigeria is exorbitant, and we demand immediate action to cut down on the unnecessary expenses (by making every political office holder’s salary structure to be in line with civil service act, remove the 7447 projects worth about #2.24 trillion inserted by the national assembly in the 2024 budgetary allocation, scrap hardship, housing and newspaper allowances from the salary composition of every political office holders”.
“It is time that our leaders lead by example, and redirect funds to areas that will directly benefit the people (building of well-equipped government hospitals, construction of all federal and state roads, increment of power generation among many others)”.
“The implementation of the Oronsaye Report, which recommends the restructuring of federal agencies for greater efficiency, is long overdue. This report must be implemented without further delay, as the waste and duplication in government must end, and the savings directed to more productive sectors.
Insecurity continues to ravage our nation, ranging from Kidnappings to insurgency and activities of unknown gun men with countless lives lost and communities destroyed”.
“The government must take decisive action to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians by prioritizing the safety of its citizens and ensure that security agencies are adequately equipped and motivated (not only when they are preparing them for protest alone) to protect lives and property (our farmers and farmland must be protected)”.
“In addition, our infrastructure is in a state of disrepair. We demand the urgent fixing of our refineries and seaports to boost our economy and reduce our dependency on imports. Accountability in governance is not optional; it is a necessity”.
“We demand transparency at all levels of government, particularly in the disbursement and utilization of the FAAC allocations to states. The people have the right to know how their resources are being managed. Unemployment continues to rise, leaving millions of young people without hope”.
“We call on the government to show practical and timely ways to create jobs and reduce the staggering unemployment rate. It is time for our leaders to prioritize the well-being of the youth, who are the future of this nation”.
“We also call on the Nigerian government to obey the ECOWAS Court’s judgment on #EndSARS and to release all protesters who have been unjustly detained in various correctional centers across the country. Justice must be served, and the rights of these individuals must be upheld”
“We also call on the government to immediately do whatever they can to reduce the prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly known as petrol so that the many burdens on the people will be reduced drastically. We are tired of stories from the leadership of NNPCL in constant defense of their complacency and poor handling of the oil sector which many at times has made Nigerians to keep experiencing fuel scarcity every year, if they can’t save us”, he stated.
 Delta branch defied the tight security presence to stage a peaceful #EndBadGovernance Protest){kind=link}