Clamping down on the protesters will not make the problems to disappear. Rather, I urge the President as the father of the nation, to pay attention to the issues affecting the citizens.
Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Reverend Adewale Martins, has urged the Federal Government to see the ongoing #RevolutionNow protest as a wake-up call to address the suffering being faced by Nigerians.
The News Agency of Nigeria quoted Martins as making the statement on Wednesday in Lagos.
He said, “Except urgent and concrete measures are taken to reassure Nigerians of safety of their lives and property across the country, things may soon get out of hands.
“People may be forced to resort to self-help if the government and security agencies continue to fail them.
“The ongoing protests by some groups is a reflection of the growing decay in the land and should be a wake-up call for President Muhammadu Buhari to be more creative and decisive in addressing various agitations bothering the minds of Nigerians.
“Clamping down on the protesters will not make the problems to disappear. Rather, I urge the President as the father of the nation, to pay attention to the issues affecting the citizens.
“The continuous detention of the protesters without trial may further paint the government as only paying lip service to the tenets of democracy.
“The proper and real dividend of democracy include freedom of expression and assembly, including the freedom to protest.”