Members of Joint Action Civil Society Coalition in Ogun State during a rally to mark this year National Day of Mourning in remembrance of people that have lost their lives to one crisis or the other across the country on Friday

Adejoke Adeleye, Abeokuta

The Joint Action Civil Society Coalition in Ogun State has called on all Nigerians to boycott all activities that will be organised to mark this year’s Democracy Day on June 12, 2021.

The group made this call on Friday when during a rally to mark this year National Day of Mourning in remembrance of people that have lost their lives to one crisis or the other across the country.

The coordinator of the group, Barr. Kayode Aderemi during an interview with journalist in Ogun NUJ secretariat in Okelewo, Abeokuta said the boycott should be done in protest of the deplorable state of democracy in the country.

Aderemi maintained that this should be done as a way of protesting the mass atrocities reportedly happening across the country.

He also noted that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has failed in its responsibilities of providing security for the people as enshrined in S14(2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution as the reason for their call.

Aderemi stated that in the first quarter of the year 2021, the country has recorded an all time quarterly high of almost 2, 000 fatalities from mass atrocities across the country.

The lawyer also said under the Buhari’s administration kidnapping for ransom has assumed an industrial and deadly scale never witnessed on the African Continent and that children an no longer safe in schools .

Aderemi further stated that in the country extrajudicial killings by state security agents in various forms, inter ethnic violence and menace of political cult gangs, ethnic militia keep contributing to the shed of innocent blood.

Aderemi called on the government at all levels to rise up to their constitutional duties to ensure the security and welfare of all Nigerians.

He noted that there is a need to pull the nation back from the path of destruction.

Aderemi also urged President Buhari to end all form of power abuse and sectionalism through his appointments by balancing the need for competence with the federal character principle.

He also advised the president to fulfil his promise of relocating the army headquarters to the Sambisa forest so as to decimate banditry and terrorism in the country.

Aderemi on behalf of the coalition however demanded that where the president fails to fulfil his constitutional duties he should either step aside or the National Assembly initiates impeachment proceedings against him on grounds of gross misconduct.

His words, “kidnapping for ransom has assumed an industrial and deadly scale never witnessed on the African continent .Our children are no longer safe in the school and Nigerian citizens and communities are now pauperised by terrorist who extort huge ransom while murdering their hostages .

“In the first quarter to 2021(January to March), we recorded an all-time quarterly high of almost 2000 fatalities from mass atrocities incidents across the country. This week,across the 6 geopolitical zones, there were escalated combustion of violence resulting in even more deaths.

“Extra judicial killings by state security agents in various forms,Inter-ethnic violence; and Menace of political cult gangs and ethnic militia.

“End impunity for abuse of power and sectionalism through his appointments by balancing the need for competence with the federal character principle. In this way,he will demonstrate that every part of Nigeria matters as sectional appointments appear to fuel sectional violence.

“One of the things the president promised when he came on board in the first place was for instance the relocation of the army headquarters to the Sambisa forest and this is about six years down the line nothing has been done.

“Sambisa forest has coordinates and that remains the strong hold of terrorism in the country, if that have been done for example there would have been a decimation of what we have now known as banditry and terrorism in the country and that is one of the things that can be done to ensure that insecurity ends in the country.

“We also demand that where the president fails to fulfill his constitutional duties as stated above,that he steps aside,or that the National Assembly initiates impeachment proceedings against him on grounds of gross misconduct as provided for in section 143 of 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We again call on Muhammadu Buhari led national government and the state governments to rise up to their constitutional duties as enshrined in S14(2)(b),to ensure the security and welfare of all Nigerians,and pull the nation back from the path of destruction.”