Bishops and other Church leaders urged protesters not to “give hoodlums the opportunity to hijack the exercise”.
Christian leaders in Nigeria urged caution as citizens planned to take to the streets on 1 August, in protest against government failures and the cost of living.
Like recent protests in Kenya, the demonstration was organised through anonymous platforms on social media.
In a statement issued on 26 July, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) that includes the Catholic Bishops’ Conference said they recognised “the pain, anger, and frustration” that many Nigerians feel and acknowledged their right to protest.
However, the recent deaths of protesters in Kenya and the violence of Nigeria’s #EndSARS and #RevolutionNow protests in 2020 led CAN to discourage mass public demonstrations.
“The cries of the people underscore the severe difficulties faced daily as families struggle to afford basic necessities and sustain their livelihoods,” the statement said.
They urged citizens “to explore other legal avenues that will not easily give hoodlums the opportunity to hijack the exercise to destroy our national assets or endanger lives and properties”.
“Dialogue, petitions, and town hall meetings are viable options that can yield positive results without the risk of disorder,” said the statement, signed by the CAN president Archbishop Daniel Okoh of the Christ Holy Church International.
The statement urged the Nigerian government to “cut the cost of governance and expedite its efforts to alleviate the hardships in the land”, and to address the “opulent lifestyle of political office holders … to demonstrate the sincerity of those in government to improve the living conditions of the people”.
Additionally, it said the newly-approved national minimum wage should be implemented in order to “provide immediate relief to struggling families”.
Bishop Hassan Mathew Kukah of Sokoto in northern Nigeria told The Tablet that it was critical that Nigerians have “a sense of belonging, a sense of justice, a feeling of fairness, a feeling that we can measure the weight of our sweat, a sense that we must end what we say in Nigeria – the monkey works, the baboon eats”.
He said this could be done not only by lowering the cost of living, but also by doing away with corruption, nepotism, bad governance and effectively fighting terrorism and criminality.
