Amid the nationwide protests in Nigeria, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Rev Dr Samson Olasupo Ayokunle has advised President Muhammadu Buhari on how to go about handling the ongoing protests in the country.
In a statement issued by Rev Ayokunle, the leadership of CAN while commending the youths for demanding the reform of the Nigerian Police Force berated attempts by some people to disrupt the peaceful protest which according to the association is lawfully allowed by the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The Association, however, called on the Military and Police to resist the temptation to intervene in a civil protest in order to avoid civil unrest and multiple deaths.
Making some fresh demands, CAN asked President Buhari to work on the immediate inauguration of Judicial panel with representatives of the Civil society at all levels. The association also charged President Buhari to immediately send an Appropriation bill to the National Assembly for the compensation of all victims of the Police brutality and other extrajudicial killings in the last 10 years.
The third demand on their list is that Fresh recruitment into police should take background check of those being recruited into consideration so as to avoid recruiting criminals into the force adding that semi-literates should never be recruited into the Police again.
CAN’s fourth demand is that all the three tiers of the government should stop paying lip service to the welfare of the people and immediately begin the welfare programme that will bring succour to the suffering masses occasioned by the increase in the fuel pump price and the power tariff.
They also want each of the 36 state governors including the FCT Minister to set up a committee to dialogue with the representatives of the protesters. According to the association, the Inspector General of Police should suspend the implementation of the establishment of SWAT until sanity is restored to the Police.
CAN asked the government at all levels to provide gainful employment and also consider the need to reopen all the closed tertiary institutions in the country.
Their ninth demand is that roads in the country must be made motor-able for ease of moving human and economic goods while interrupted electricity supply should be ensured among other infrastructures.
