Nigeria students in Ukraine have joined the spreading protests among Nigerians worldwide, warning that that they will no longer tolerate a leadership that fails to meet the demands and aspiration of Nigerians. Delivering a strongly-worded protest letter to the Nigerian Ambassador to Ukraine, Mr. Ibrahim Pada Kasai in Kiev, for onward transmission to Abuja, the students stressed that Nigerians are losing their patience and that the government must implement the constitution to the letter in resolving “the political impasse created by the absence of the president.”
Represented by Rosanwo Babatunde and Olusola Idowu, they demanded, in particular, that:
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• The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria be respected by all political office holders;
• The government should disclose the true nature of the whereabouts of Yar’Adua; and
• That the right of the citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria be respected.
The students, who were working on obtaining a police permit for a public rally, despite the bitter cold conditions, warned that it is “most unwise” of the Nigerian leadership to ignore or downplay the ongoing protests and mass action by well-meaning Nigerian citizens all over world.
“Nigerians are far more active and ready to hold their leaders accountable to the terms of the social contract enshrined in the constitution, imperfect as it may currently be,” they said. “More, importantly, Nigerian citizens are willing to go to any reasonable length to defend their rights as citizens of the Federal Republic.”
They urged the government to act promptly and judiciously on the issues of the moment “to the benefit and betterment of our beloved fatherland.” They promised to return to the Embassy and embark on mass actions, by means of the huge Nigerian population in the country, if they were unsatisfied with the actions of the government.
Responding to the students, Ambassador Kasai, who met with the students in person, directed that the protest letter be forwarded to the appropriate quarters in Abuja, and handed over to the students a stamped copy.
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