Over 5,000 people took to the streets in Lagos on Thursday to demand the end of the leadership crisis in Nigeria, which is currently threatening to undermine the constitution and engender chaos in the nation. President Umaru Yar’Adua, who has not been seen since November 23, 2009 did not officially hand over power to the Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan, before travelling to Saudi Arabia to treat a heart ailment. His absence has adversely affected the country’s progress in different areas.
The march in Lagos, the second in less than a fortnight, was organised by the Save Nigeria Group, the same group that spearheaded the first one in Abuja last week. Thousands of people gathered at the Archbishop Vining Memorial Anglican Church, Ikeja and marched to the Lagos State governor’s office where a letter communicating their demands was handed over to the state governor, Babatunde Fashola.
The Senior Pastor, Latter Rain Assembly, Tunde Bakare, who led the march alongside the President of the West African Bar Association, Femi Falana, said it is time for Nigerians to stand up and say “enough is enough” to all those who are preventing the vice president from constitutionally assuming the office of the president, who has been ill and off-duty for about two months.
While presenting the letter to the governor, Mr. Bakare called on all governors to stand with the Nigerian people.
“Nigerian people shine your eyes. The engine of this nation has knocked. We all must stand up and say enough is enough. We call on all the governors to stand with the people before things go out of hand in our nation. It will be short-sighted for anybody to think that he will have immunity when things go out of hand,” he said.
Mr. Fashola received the letter and promised to present it to the Governors’ Forum, adding that it is the right of the people to hold those in authority accountable.
‘Out of the kitchen if too hot’
“All of us who are in authority are there for one reason and that is to serve you. So it is your right to tell us when we are not doing well enough or to tell us to do more. I must say it is not easy, but we asked for the job. So if the kitchen is too hot, you get out,” the governor said.
He also advised the cheering crowd to purify their hearts of hatred and replace it with clear thinking and shun violence as they continue in the protest.
Mr. Falana, who is currently urging a federal court to intervene in the crisis, accused the National Assembly of deliberately refusing to act.
“As we are gathered here now, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed, is supposed to be briefing the National Assembly on the state of health of the president,” he said, adding however, that Mr. Ahmed was not qualified to make such a briefing. He also stressed that the purported BBC interview with the president last week was suspect.
“Alhaji Ahmed is neither a medical doctor nor a specialist,” Mr. Falana continued. “They don’t need any briefing because the president himself was alleged to have spoken to us through the BBC last week. In that interview, President Yar’Adua said he would not know when he would return to the country. So, what is there for the National Assembly to investigate again? If you are not on duty, you cannot be signing budget as they claim,” he said.
Roll call of eminent personalities
Amongst the men and women, young and old, who carried placards and banners in the march were political activists such as Yinka Odumakin of the Afenifere Renewal Group, Debo Adeniran of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), Joe Odumakin of Women Arise and retired military officers, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu and General Alani Akinrinade.
The presence of Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, added colour to the march after he came accompanied by several okada (motorcycle) riders. Most of the protesters wore white T-shirts with the inscription “Enough is Enough” written on them.
There was a heavy police presence from the beginning to the end. Gun-wielding mobile police officers, in their hundreds, moved along in their vans and also helped in controlling traffic.
Mr. Bakare commended all that participated in the march, saying their participation has sent a strong message to the leaders of the nation.
According to Mr. Odumakin, the series of marches, which started last week in Abuja, will continue in Kaduna next week.