The office of the acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, has said that peaceful protest is a fundamental right of the people and that the Federal Government will not stop Nigerians from expressing themselves through protest so long as it is not violent.
“This administration will not prevent Nigerians from expressing themselves in peaceful protests, it’s a fundamental right of the people,” Akande said.
The position of the presidency on peaceful protest is coming on the heels of a planned protest in Lagos and Abuja, which is anchored by African Queen Crooner and one of the notable African musicians, Innocent Idibia, also known as Tuface.
The statement which was made by the Senior Special Assistant to the acting president on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, on Friday through a series of tweets, is in contrast to the plan by Nigerian police to stop the protest.
Recall that the commissioner of police in Lagos State, Fatai Owoseni had on Thursday hinted that the police will not allow the march go as planned for fear that it might be hijacked by miscreants, who will use the opportunity to perpetuate evil intents.
The police headquarters in Abuja reinforced Owoseni’s position via a statement issued late Friday and signed by police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, in which it claimed that there was credible intelligence that the demonstration could turn violent.
“Innocent Idibia (a.k.a Tuface) and his group are hereby strongly advised to shelve their planned peaceful protest/demonstration in the interest of peace and security,” the police said.
Wonderful Statement from Osinbanjo.
