Nigeria: Soyinka, Ojukwu and Musa march against Yar'Adua

January 12th, 2010

 

 

Abuja (Nigeria) - The heat is expected to be turned up against the ailing President Umaru Yar'adua tomorrow when leading activists led by Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu and Alhaji Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa lead a protest march in Abuja urging him to resign from office due to his protracted ill-health.

Tomorrow's march, being organised by the Save Nigeria Group, is expected to be staged in several other cities around the world to protest what the organizers called power vacuum in Nigeria because of Yar'adua's long absence. The rally will also be used to protest the Federal Government's indecisiveness over electoral reforms, the terror-tag placed on Nigerians by the US government due to alleged plane bomber Farouk Umar Mutallab's action, as well as Nigeria's rising corruption profile.

Other rally leaders include Dr. Tunde Bakare, ex-House of Representatives member Farouk Adamu Aliyu, Mr. Solomon Asemota (SAN), Dr. Tunji Braithwaite and Hajiya Naja'atu Mohammed. Others expected to speak at the protest rally are Prof. Pat Utomi, Pastor Sarah Omakwu, Mr. Femi Falana, Olawale Oshun, Dr. Tunji Abayomi, Mrs. Ayo Obe, Mallam Naseer Kura, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin and Uche Onyeogocha. Engr Buba Galadima and Hajia Naja'atu Mohammed both confirmed to Daily trust yesterday that they will be participating in the rally.

A statement signed by Mr. Fred Agbeyegbe, Engr. Galadima, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, Mallam Tanko Yunusa and Mallam Salihu Lukman said the rally, which will start from Unity Fountain, near Transcorp Hotel, Central Business District, Abuja, will terminate at the National Assembly Complex.

They said the protest will also serve as an avenue to ask the government to tell Nigerians President Yar'adua's whereabouts, to demand for respect of the constitution regarding Yar'adua's ailment, to demand for a Sovereign National Conference, as well as to kick against the attempt to criminalise all Nigerians over the attempted plane bombing saga.

They said the march is part of the campaign against the 10 'poverties' in Nigeria, including poverty of ideas, performance, hope, honour, resource, mind, regard, spirit, commerce and environment. According to the organizers, Nigeria can only know justice, peace and progress when her citizens will work for it.

The rally which was expected to hold in London tomorrow, has been shifted to Friday after a meeting between the Metropolitan Police and the Save Nigeria Working Group because of expectations that Nigerians in London will turn out en masse.

However, Police Public Relations Officer for the Federal Territory Police Command DSP Moshood Jimoh told Daily Trust yesterday that the group has not sought for permission to hold the rally. A police source in Abuja also said the police are not aware of plans to hold the rally. "Apart from a group that held a rally in Abuja last week, no any group or individual sought police permit for a public rally," the source said.

He said the police have the right to permit or stop a public gathering and determine when such gatherings could be held. He said the police would not allow any group at the moment to hold a rally, no matter the intention. "At this period, the police want to always discourage rallies and protests and I don't think the group will be allowed by the police even if they request for the permit," he said.

 

source.Daily Trust (Nigeria) - January 11, 2010.