Coalition For Revolution Calls For National Day Of Action On August 5, Demands Better Governance From Nigerian Leaders
The Coalition for Revolution has called on Nigerians to rise up and demand better governance from the country’s political leaders by participating in its National Day of Action on August 5.
The event is in commemoration of the first anniversary of the #RevolutionNow campaign, which saw people across different parts of Nigeria on August 5, 2019 taking to the streets in peaceful demonstrations to ask for better leadership from the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
While stating that the plight of ordinary Nigerians were worse than it was last year, CORE said that the people could no longer watch and be oppressed by the country’ political leaders.
In a statement, Co-conveners of the group, Baba Aye and Gbenga Komolafe, said that the time for action was now.
The statement reads, “The situation in the country for poor people keeps getting worse. While poverty continues to increase for the many, the rate of stealing of monies that could be used to improve lives and livelihoods keeps accelerating, on a daily basis. Repression follows in tow, to stop questions being asked. And those who actually work, waged workers are underpaid and overworked.
“The masses are fed up. This is the time to rise up and fight to break our chains. On 5 August, 2020, Coalition for Revolution will organise a national day of action in commemoration and continuation of its #RevolutionNow campaign.
“The situation of the country for poor working people was terrible when we flagged off the campaign last year. But now it is even worse. Every opportunity is used or created to loot. Agencies supposedly meant to assuage the lives of marginalised people like the NDDC for the poor people of the Niger Delta have become conduit pipes for billions of naira.
“Rulers in government bend the law and create companies like Mr Bola Tinubu’s Alpha Beta to steal billions of naira from states and federal governments in the name of providing services. Even agencies supposedly meant to apprehend those stealing us blind like the EFCC have themselves turned into means of fraudulent enrichment for a few.
“While governors and legislators in every state of the federation receive humungous amounts as salaries and allowances without taking their illegitimate self-enrichment into consideration, workers in at least a dozen states are yet to be paid the national minimum wage. And even some that pay the minimum wage either fail to put upward reviews of salaries generally in place, or have even gone further to slash wages, claiming these are contributions into COVID-19 funds.
“Meanwhile, houses and workplaces of poor workers in the informal economy are pulled down with impunity. Tens of thousands have been rendered homeless and without means of livelihood as their workplaces are destroyed. Poor working people are not covered by social protection, while billions of naira disappear into several social intervention plans, which are actually “jobs for the boys”.
“Enough is enough. We cannot let this situation continue. We cannot allow a few persons to throw the 99 per cent of the population of the cliff into the abyss of starvation and destruction. We will fight until victory, starting with the national day of action on 5 August.”
Credit: SaharaReporters