Civil society plans protest against corruption

Civil society groups have been holding meetings to protest Federal Government’s failure to tame corruption in the country, SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt.

According to the organisers, the planned nationwide rally would be in the mould of the January 2012 protest and would hold before the end of the first quarter of this year.

The National Coordinator of Committee for Democracy and Rights of the People, Mr. Amitolu Shittu, said the protest was aimed at compelling the Federal Government to implement reports of probes in the petroleum sector.

Yinka Odumakin

He said, “We are planning a rally to protest the level of corruption in this administration. We cannot allow things to continue this way. Look at all the committees that Jonathan’s administration set up to probe the petroleum industry; they revealed how some people stole billions of naira in the name of subsidy. Till today, nobody has been convicted and nobody has been sent to jail, including those who stole pension funds. This is not acceptable.

“Under this same administration, people are dying every day due to insecurity and unemployment is  increasing. Nigeria has never had it this bad. Life has become worthless in Nigeria, while some corrupt government officials are getting richer.”

Tunde Bakare

Shittu said the tentative date for the rally was March 28.

Similarly, the spokesman of the Save Nigeria Group, Yinka Odumakin, said though the date was not certain, a public protest of that nature was imminent.

Also, the Executive Chairman of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, Debo Adeniran, confirmed that there were meetings going on in preparation for the nationwide protest.