#ENDSARS: NACL Commend the Youths on a Peaceful, Organised Protest

19th October, 2020


The National Association of Catholic Lawyers, NACL, commends the youth for the peaceful and organised way it has conducted itself in the ‘ENDSARSNOW’ protest. In the same way we commend the Government for its restraint in handling the protest. We wish to state for the records that this is one of the best forms of protest anywhere in the world.

The youth have once more demonstrated their love for our country despite the repressive and divisive system of Governance.

The NACL recognises the low point of the protest being that lives have been lost due to accidents and sometimes unlawful attitudes of some security agencies. May the souls of these martyrs of Good Governance rest in peace and may the Lord console their loved ones. Amen.

There is therefore the need for both the Government and the youth to come together to begin re-building our nation Nigeria. We request that the Government begin immediately with the following:

a) Mention the names of Police Officers and men including their supervisors that have been reported with respect to the various abuses and immediately suspend them and begin their trials.

b) Setup a Fund to compensate the victims and have the ill-gotten wealth of the oppressors attached and included in the said Fund.

c) The President should address the nation and give an undertaking on behalf of the Federal Government that never again in the history of Nigeria would the Government fold its hands and allow its citizens be brazenly abused by Police, Army or any other security agency.

d) Under the Freedom of Information Act make available to Nigerians, the total emoluments and allowances of members of the National Assembly, Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and other Public Servants.

e) Reduce allowances and salaries of these politicians and senior public servants by at least 50%.

f) Immediately increase the salaries of Police and other security agencies by 100% in the first instance as you cannot give a gun to a hungry man or woman.

g) Set up a transparent process allowing the use of the Freedom of Information Act by citizens in the event of complaints of corruption, with a view to reducing corruption in the country.

It is our belief that the above recommendation if immediately adopted would see our youth off the streets.

The NACL, like the NBA and various Lawyers' groups are available to provide legal services for the victims of oppression. We call on all professionals including the Doctors and other medical groups to offer their services to the youth as they are today the heroes of the nation.

We pray that the sacrifices and prayers of our youth and Nigerians in general, will be accepted by God and that we will have a new Nigeria where there is hope and equal treatment of all citizens.

We request every Nigerian to say or sing the second stanza of our National Anthem every day.

Chukwuma Ezeala
National President