Chief of Defence staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has explained how the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) will intervene in the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protests, appealing to Nigerians to be civil and peaceful while exercising their constitutional rights.
General Musa also warned those who may want to hide under the guise of protest to perpetrate violence, to rescind their decisions, stating that the military will not fold its hands and watch the country drift into anarchy, pointing out that the military is watching and will step in if the situation gets out of hand.
The CDS told journalists in Abuja while reviewing the Day Two of the ongoing nationwide protest against hunger and bad governance, explained that the security operatives, especially the Police, have been very processional in handling the protest, calling on Nigerians to show understanding with the Federal Government.
Stating that the government was doing its best to address the economic situation in the country, General Musa also urged Nigerians to hold the local and State governments more accountable.
According to him: “The government has actually shown its own commitment by upholding its promise of allowing people to associate freely. Clearly, the security forces have done extremely well and I’m very happy to mention one, especially the Nigerian police force, have shown a lot of professionalism, including where members of the armed forces had to step in.
“You can see that we have remained very professional in our conduct and we will continue to do that, as long as the citizens also understand that there is a difference between peace and criminality.
“What we saw yesterday was, at the beginning, some semblance of a very peaceful demonstration, but which was quickly taken over by a bunch of criminals that don’t mean us well. And if you remember, we have warned that there are individuals that are ready to cause mayhem once this starts. And so I want to appeal to Nigerians to understand that the federal government is doing the best it can for the country.
“The Federal government is present for one year and it is not possible for them to have to solve every financial, economic, security situation within one year. But I’m sure, I don’t worry, we are truthful to ourselves. Efforts have been made and have continued to be made.
“And I’ve seen policies that have been made to address the economic situation on the ground, including security situation. Things are improving. We are not where we are, but I can assure you we are heading there. And if we have the support of everyone together, we can bring total peace and the economy will grow.
“Just a few days ago, I was in the Niger Delta to also ensure that our production increases immediately so that we can have enough funds to fund our economy. So I want to call on all Nigerians to understand the government.”
Musa noted that the armed forces and the entire security agencies will not stand by and see the nation slide into anarchy: “We want to warn those that are in the house, those that don’t want to listen. We will not fold our hands and see our country destroyed.
“We will take action and the action will be taken professionally. Anyone that is caught will be taken to the courts to be dealt with. And so once again, I want to thank you for coming, especially members of the media.And again, for the media, I want to also appeal. I noticed throughout yesterday, all the stations were hooked up to the occasion. This is not an election thing.
“We don’t give them that coverage for them to feel. Some of them are looking for just moments of being on the screen. Together, I can assure you, they are going to win.And they are winning. At least from today, we have seen the level. It has really gone down.
“Most state governments that decide to declare a state of emergency have called it off. And working together as Nigerians for Nigeria will succeed. Before the protest, based on our interface with the Defence Headquarters, I believe a lot of intelligence was gathered and analysed.
“Now I want to know, were the security agents overwhelmed or directed the possible outcome of the protest? Well, you know, the security agents cannot be everywhere. And you can just make your predictions to such an extent. The entire area is large.”
General Musa also pointed out that “the message has already been passed to the federal, State government and local governments. The local government is already in place. The President has already directed troops to be called for the local government to have direct funding from the federal government. That will also assist. Please, Nigerians should look up to their local government, their State governments.
“The federal government is doing its best. Everybody is putting their hands on desk. We know we are challenged as a nation. But we know we will overcome, working together as Nigerians. I want to appeal once again for the support of all Nigerians, the federal government, the State government and local governments.
“Let us avoid anything that will bring mayhem within our communities. Yesterday, we have seen the level of destruction that we carried just yesterday. And so you can imagine if this continues for so long.”