By Stephen Simon
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has joined forces with 16 civil society organisations to mobilise a nationwide protest on June 12 over worsening insecurity, economic hardship and declining living standards across the country.
The coalition, made up of trade unions, youth groups, social movements and faith-based organisations, said the protest coincides with Nigeria’s Democracy Day and is aimed at drawing attention to the challenges confronting ordinary citizens.
In a joint statement signed by Falana as National Chairman of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), alongside Hassan Taiwo Soweto of the Lagos State #EndBadGovernance Movement and Yinka Folarin, National President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), the organisers expressed concern over the growing insecurity across the federation.
They said many communities continue to suffer from banditry, terrorism and mass abductions, with innocent Nigerians being killed, displaced and traumatised while government responses remain inadequate.
The coalition demanded immediate action to secure the release of citizens allegedly held captive by criminal groups in states including Oyo, Borno, Katsina, Kwara, Ekiti, Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger, stressing that government must prioritise the protection of lives and property.
The organisers also criticised official claims of improved security, arguing that the realities faced by farmers, commuters and schoolchildren across the country tell a different story.
On the economy, the coalition blamed the current hardship on policies introduced by President Bola Tinubu, including currency devaluation, electricity tariff increases and the removal of fuel subsidy, which they said have worsened inflation and placed additional pressure on households and small businesses.
Describing the June 12 protest as the first in a series of planned actions, the coalition urged workers, students, market women, unemployed youths and professionals to participate, insisting that Nigerians must collectively demand improved security, economic relief and a better standard of living.
