“As our nation returns to the drawing board in the wake of the #EndSARS protests, I have observed with keen interest the policy actions and positions taken by national and subnational governments…”
Pastor Tunde Bakare has raised alarm over the freezing of accounts of some notable #EndSARS protesters, warning the federal government that such decision may trigger further protests.
He added that the restriction placed on the protesters’ accounts is against the collective interest of Nigerians and feared the consequence might be another round of protests.
Mr. Bakare disclosed this in a report monitored on Channels TV on Sunday.
“As our nation returns to the drawing board in the wake of the #EndSARS protests, I have observed with keen interest the policy actions and positions taken by national and subnational governments to address the broader issues of youth development in Nigeria,” Mr. Bakare said.
Earlier, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had obtained an order from an Abuja High Court to freeze the accounts of 19 individuals and a public affairs company linked to the #EndSARS protests till January.
The CBN in its bid to obtain the order claimed that the funds in these accounts might be linked to terrorist activities.
Mr Bakare, however, urged that the current mood in the nation calls for collective sobriety from the masses and the Federal Government, to prevent another crisis from happening.
“Truth be told, this season of our national life requires deep humility, sobriety, and deliberate thinking through, both by the government and the governed, in order to ensure that our plans, policies, and actions are weighed before they are implemented, to avert the re-occurrence of our most recent crisis.”
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The Pastor warned that some steps taken by the government, including freezing accounts, need to be reversed to prevent the triggering of another round of protests.
“In light of the foregoing, some of the actions recently taken by the government on the heels of the #EndSARS protests may need to be reversed sooner rather than later in our collective best interest, so that they do not trigger further protests.
“Among such policy actions is the freezing of the accounts of young Nigerians who reportedly sponsored the protests, targeting and arresting citizens on trumped-up charges, deploying court probes as a tool of intimidation, and generally eroding our fragile peace, are deeply worrisome signs of regression.
“It is painful that the younger generation has had to face the same beasts we fought in my generation.
“This is why we cannot afford to keep sinful silence when the youths of our nation are being oppressed by a Nigerian state that is supposed to protect them,” Bakare said.
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