ASABA/Nigeria: The protest that was organized by youths with the hash tag #Endsars protests had been described as a metaphor of Generational Failure by stakeholders who attended an interactive program called Frontline organized by the members of the Delta Online Publishers Forum (DOPF).
The Stakeholders made the statement in a communiqué at the end of the interactive session held at Benezia Hotel, Asaba last weekend.
It stated amongst others, that while calling for attitudinal changes in our behaviours.
“The #EndSARS protest became a metaphor of generational failure by government resulting to faulty electoral system, maladministration, official malfeasance, bribery and corruption, hostage taking, terrorism, banditry and general insecurity.
“There must be an attitudinal change from the home front, and larger society,” decrying a situation “where Nigerians leverage on every giving situation to inflate and increase prices of good and service. That EndSARS should start with the common man.”
It further called the government to stop the idea of censoring social media activities, but rather focus on the good use of the platform to promote good government and unity of purpose of the country.
The group said government should rather focus its energy towards addressing the various challenges of unemployment, corruption, infrastructure decay, violent crimes, high cost of living, inequality and hopelessness among other issues thrown up by the recent #EndSARS protest.
According to the communiqué which was made available to our correspondent, DOPF said government was being hypocritical to be placating Nigerians with judicial panel of inquiries while at the same time, secretly hounding down perceived promoters of the #EndSARS movement.
“It is wrong for the government to launch a fresh onslaught against #EndSARS protesters, campaigners, proponents, sympathizers, promoters and those who provided survival package to the protesters, freezing their accounts and scapegoat others who are being secretly harass and horded in jail while placating Nigerians with judicial panels of inquiries.
“The development amount to double-speak and highly hypocritical of the government of the day in Nigeria,” it stated.
It however vehemently condemned the burning and destruction of properties and looting of goods and relief materials in some cities across the country by hoodlums and other low elements of the society during the protest, saying that such actions were not only barbaric, but insane and inexcusable.
It lamented the “situation where Nigerians, particularly the youths had to grapple with economic and infrastructural deficiency even as a larger population groan under the weight of economic retrogression, while the privilege few live in affluence and pride themselves as centurions of modern day leaders in Nigeria.
The audience participatory programme had in attendance representatives of the Delta State Government, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Civil Society Organisations, Department of States Security (DSS), Non-Governmental Organisations, National Association of Polytechnic Students, NAPS, Delta Youth Parliamentarians, among others, according to the communique jointly signed by the chairman of DOPF, Emmanuel Enebeli; Chukwudi Abiandu and Joe Ogbodu, chairman and secretary, respectively of the planning committee.
