Razaq Bamidele
A renowned human rights activist and public commentator, Comrade Razaq Olokoba, has said that protest is inevitable especially in a democratic setting like Nigeria because its usefulness for good governance can never be overemphasised, adding however that, “I am an apostle of peaceful protest.”
Olokoba, in a chat with our correspondent Monday in Lagos, explained that, protest in a vital ingredient in democracy because it serves as a corrective instrument for any government that appears derailing as well as encouragement for any administrator that is doing well like Governor Babatunde Olusola Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State.
The youthful activist, who is the National Convener of the Campaign for Dignity in Governance (CDG), a group that consists of over 70 other right organizations, however, stated vehemently that, “protest doesn’t need to be violent to hammer home its message,” explaining that, “any protest that goes violent has the tendency to be destructive and counter-productive.”
Olokoba, who had led countless successful protests across the country said, “the moment a protest goes violent, tendencies are that hoodlums, street urchins, social miscreants and vandals to seize the chaotic nature of such a protest to kill, maim, loot and destroy heritages that took ages to build.”
Citing an example, Olokoba reminded the people of the experience of the genuine #EndSARS protest last year that was hijacked by hoodlums and the resultant effect of the outcome is now history, regretting that, the havoc wreaked on Lagos State was so monumental that it would cause fortunes to correct for a very long time to come.
According to him, the problem caused by the protest when it went out of hand has become a great concerned for the well-meaning people of Lagos State in particular and the country at large, stressing the need to always apply caution according to the dictate of the prevailing circumstances to void situations whereby insult would be added to injuries.
On the weekend #OccupyLekkiTollGate protest, Olokoba hailed the decision of the #DefendLagos group for heeding Governor Sanwo-Olu’s advice to drop the idea, saying, the situation at the LekkiTollGate on Saturday could have been more chaotic as the stage was getting set for a clash between the pro and anti-reopening of the project.
He also commended the people for their cooperation with the government in its efforts at finding a peaceful way out of the crisis at hand, asserting that, “the situation on ground now in Lagos requires all hands to be on deck to support Governor Sanwo-Olu to concentrate on his efforts at providing good governance to the people as it has been in his character.
“In as much as I am not against protests to correct ills and praise achievements like that of Sanwo-Olu, my own principle of protest is to be peaceful and orderly. There is no reason an exercise aimed at correcting a wrong could degenerate into creating more wrongs. Of what benefit would it be for people desiring good governance to lose their lives before their efforts come to fruition!” Olokoba wondered.
