Date: 21.10.2020

COMMUNIQUE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

We the Nigerian Global Roundtable, comprising of Nigerian professionals with diverse backgrounds from across the world, a Think & Do NGO pursuing good governance and accountability, to facilitate the economic empowerment and overall development of Nigeria, that after deliberation over the ongoing #ENDSARS peaceful protests by Nigeria’s youths, wish to hereby state as follows:

1. That we commend the Nigerian Youths for their resilience and doing what generations before them were unable to do and consider this peaceful protests by our Youths long overdue. Your agitations have brought to the fore, the need to wake up and address with urgency the implementations of sweeping reforms. For too long, Nigerian leaders have resisted all reforms. We support and endorse their agitations as legitimate. Their highly reasoned demands are in line with the vision of the Nigerian Global Roundtable as to how to get Nigeria on the trajectory of equality, justice and equity for all.

2. That their demands for reforms guarantee a better future for all and not only for them but for all. We think no well-meaning Nigerians should be against this.

3. We call for sober reflection and dialogue and not tactics to sabotage their legitimate demands. This is a time to take stock and call for a roundtable negotiation for the way forward.

4. That these youths who have continued to gather in all weather for their peaceful protests across the country are not only calling for fundamental police reforms that include how they are recruited, trained, housed, remunerated but also funded.

5. We support an overhaul of a system that has built-in systemic failures that have led to our current impunity, corruption, unaccountability, waste and massive youth unemployment.

6. We call on the organized labour (NUPENG, PENGASAN, NUBIFIE) and other civil society organizations to identify with the demands of the youths who are concerned about building a nation where peace and justice reigns which is also your mantra. Their efforts would also improve the lives of your members.

7. That we are yet to receive any response to our call and letter to the Key officers of both houses of the National Assembly titled ”Managing Nigeria’s Diversity: Toward Global Best Practices through rejigging Of Her Federating Parts for Purposeful Coexistence and Development that Guarantee Equity, Justice and Peace” since September 2020.

Furthermore, we support and demand the following:

8. Policies that facilitate an inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development of Nigeria for all citizens alike.

9. Policies that eradicate injustice, inequity and unfairness to our current political & economic arrangement.

10. That at a time of scarce resources, best practice demands that the cost of governance be slashed significantly, starting with the package for our lawmakers and governors both serving and retired. Constituency votes for lawmakers and Security votes for governors should be scrapped since our governors are protected by police officers paid for by taxpayers, these monies should be deployed to fund our police.

11. That we need to eliminate the number of duplications in our structure that includes the number of MDAs (Ministries, Departments and Agencies). That development is a factor of capital investments that are rendered impossible now. We demand budgets that have no votes higher than 50% of recurrent expenditures. That something is fundamentally wrong with a budget that allocates only a total of about 55% of the vote for education and health care combined to the allocation for the National Assembly alone. That the purpose of government is to take care and provide services for the people and the government is never an end in itself.

12. That Nigeria urgently needs restructuring to do a political, social & economic reconstruction of the country.

13. That a referendum to ask Nigerians of the way forward is now urgently needed.

14. That in other to address corruption decisively and shorten the length of court proceedings, there should be a special court for corruption-related cases. These courts should be established in all current capital cities across Nigeria.

15. That since the current security architecture appears unable to adequately respond to the increasing security challenges across the country, that there is a need for an urgent decentralization of the security architectures in Nigeria. Like in other federal systems across the world, policing is local and should be devolved to States urgently.

16. That given our peculiarities, the only solution to any long-lasting peace and development is a new constitution that returns Nigeria to regional arrangements, a constitution that will give more power to the regions/states, with fiscal control.

17. That we consider it disturbing that despite the unpopularity and rejection of the National Water Resources Bill across the board by the Nigerian people, the government and legislature are pushing ahead as if they consider Nigerians a conquered people. Even though this is at variance with our 1999 constitution as amended, in line with the Land Use Act that rests all matters concerning Land to the states (Water basins and shores are part of the land in States), they seem unbothered. The introduction of the water bill act is a deliberate and brazen disregard to the constitutional land use provisions and therefore should be rejected as it is a nullity in itself

We continue to hope that the news that the Nigerian Army may be deployed to quell the protest by force is a mere rumour, as such a measure, if adopted would turn largely peaceful protests, guaranteed by the Nigerian constitution into a violent one that would not only violate our constitution but could escalate and lead to further divisions in the country. Any use of force would be counterproductive.

We condemn the use of force against the Lekki #EndSARS protesters. It is repressive and unacceptable for any Government to turn its weapons on its young people. Killing our defenceless youths or any well-meaning Nigerian demanding reforms for a better future is wrong, irrespective of the circumstance. You don’t entrench yourself in office by killing your people. These shootings must stop immediately and the security agents that carried out these dastardly acts be brought to justice. We demand protection for the protesters.

We urge the protesters to continue to conduct themselves peacefully, no matter the provocations.

We urge the Federal Government to toe the line of engagement and dialogue, listening to the demands of the youth and other well-meaning Nigerians. The whole country looks forward to practical steps that would be taken to implement these reasonable demands. We believe that a sincere and transparent response to the demands of the young people would go a long way to moving Nigeria forward. We must all remember the whole world is watching us see how we handle this situation.

The Nigerian Global RoundTable.

Signed:
Dr Adedeji Aganga-Williams, UK
Dr Peter Agwi, Germany
Mr Sidney ‘Kewe Akaphiare, Nigeria
Dr Tony Alabi, Nigeria
Mr Sidney ‘Kewe Akaphiare, Nigeria
Dr Tony Alabi, Nigeria
Mr Adeshina Ayodele, Austria
Madam Oti Ayenbi, France
Dr Jones Edobor, Austria
Dr Akin Fapohunda, Nigeria
Venerable Aghama A. Imade, DCCS, Nigeria
Dipl. Ing. Festus Imarhiagbe, Austria
Mr Ifeolu Jegunma, UK
Dr. Chief Amb. Camilus Konkwo, Austria
Dr Bashir Obasekola, Russia
Mr Anthony Ogochukwu, Ireland
Mr Sidney Ogodo, Nigeria
Mr Ikechukwu Okafor, Austria
Mr. Samuel Orovwuje Orovwuje, Nigeria
Mr Jeffrey Oviasu, Austria
Madam Titi Sorungbe, USA