Thursday, October
22, 2020 / 07:59 PM / By State House / Header Image Credit: @NigeriaGov
Being Address To The Nation By His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, President Of The Federal Republic Of Nigeria On The ENDSARS Protests, 22nd October, 2020
Fellow Nigerians,
It has become necessary for me to address you having
heard from many concerned Nigerians and having concluded a meeting with all the
Security Chiefs.
2. I must warn those who have hijacked and misdirected
the initial, genuine and well - intended protest of some of our youths in parts
of the country, against the excesses of some members of the now disbanded
Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
3. On Monday 12th October, I acknowledged the genuine
concerns and agitations of members of the public regarding the excessive use of
force by some members of SARS.
4. The choice to demonstrate peacefully is a
fundamental right of citizens as enshrined in Section 40 of our Constitution
and other enactments; but this right to protest also imposes on the
demonstrators the responsibility to respect the rights of other citizens, and
the necessity to operate within the law.
5. As a democratic government, we listened to, and
carefully evaluated the five-point demands of the protesters. And, having
accepted them, we immediately scrapped SARS, and put measures in place to
address the other demands of our youth.
6. On approving the termination of SARS, I already
made it clear that it was in line with our commitment to the implementation of
extensive Police reforms.
7. Sadly, the promptness with which we have acted
seemed to have been misconstrued as a sign of weakness and twisted by some for
their selfish unpatriotic interests.
8. The result of this is clear to all observers: human
lives have been lost; acts of sexual violence have been reported; two major
correctional facilities were attacked and convicts freed; public and private
properties completely destroyed or vandalised; the sanctity of the Palace of a
Peace Maker, the Oba of Lagos has been violated. So-called protesters have
invaded an International Airport and in the process disrupted the travel plans
of fellow Nigerians and our visitors.
9. All these executed in the name of the ENDSARS
protests. I am indeed deeply pained that innocent lives have been lost. These
tragedies are uncalled for and unnecessary. Certainly, there is no way
whatsoever to connect these bad acts to legitimate expression of grievance of
the youth of our country.
10. The spreading of deliberate falsehood and
misinformation through the social media in particular, that this government is
oblivious to the pains and plight of its citizens is a ploy to mislead the
unwary within and outside Nigeria into unfair judgement and disruptive
behaviour.
11. On the contrary, both our deeds and words have
shown how committed this administration has been to the wellbeing and welfare
of citizens, even with the steadily dwindling revenues, and the added
responsibilities and restrictions due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
12. Government has put in place measures and
initiatives principally targeted at youths, women and the most vulnerable
groups in our society. These included our broad plan to lift 100 million
Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years; the creation of N75 billion
National Youth Investment Fund to provide opportunities for the youths and the
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Survival Fund, through which
government is:
a. paying three months salaries of the staff of
100,000 micro, small - and medium - enterprises,
b. paying for the registration of 250,000 businesses
at the Corporate Affairs Commission,
c. giving a grant of N30,000 to 100,000 artisans; and
d. guaranteeing market for the products of traders.
13. These are in addition to many other initiatives
such as;
a. Farmermoni,
b. Tradermoni,
c. Marketmoni,
d. N-Power,
e. N-Tech and
f. N-Agro.
14. No Nigerian Government in the past has
methodically and seriously approached poverty-alleviation like we have done.
15. With regard to the welfare of police personnel,
the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission has been directed to
expedite action on the finalization of the new salary structure of members of
the Nigeria Police Force. The emoluments of other paramilitary services are
also being reviewed upwards.
16. In order to underscore the importance of education
in preparing youths for the future, this administration has come up with a new
salary structure and other incentives for our teachers.
17. Let me at this point reaffirm the Federal
Government's commitment to preserving the unity of this country.
18. We will continue to improve good governance and
our democratic process, including through sustained engagement.
19. We shall continue to ensure that liberty and
freedom, as well as the fundamental rights of all citizens are protected.
20. But remember that government also has the
obligation to protect lives and properties, as well as the right of citizens to
go about their daily businesses freely and protected from acts of violence.
21. To our neighbours in particular, and members of
the international community, many of whom have expressed concern about the
ongoing development in Nigeria, we thank you and urge you all to seek to know
all the facts available before taking a position or rushing to judgment and
making hasty pronouncements.
22. In the circumstances, I would like to appeal to
protesters to note and take advantage of the various well-thought-out
initiatives of this administration designed to make their lives better and more
meaningful, and resist the temptation of being used by some subversive elements
to cause chaos with the aim of truncating our nascent democracy.
23. For you to do otherwise will amount to undermining
national security and the law and order situation. Under no circumstances will
this be tolerated.
24. I therefore call on our youths to discontinue the
street protests and constructively engage government in finding solutions. Your
voice has been heard loud and clear and we are responding.
25. And I call on all Nigerians to go about their
normal businesses, and enjoin security agencies to protect lives and properties
of all law abiding citizens without doing harm to those they are meant to
protect. Let me pay tribute to officers of the Nigeria Police Force who have
tragically lost their lives in the line of duty.
26. I would like to thank those state Governors,
traditional and religious leaders who have appealed for calm and restraint. I
also thank youth leaders who have restrained their followers from taking the
law into their hands.
27. This government respects and will continue to
respect all the democratic rights and civil liberties of the people, but it
will not allow anybody or groups to disrupt the peace of our nation.
Thank you all. God bless the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
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