SNG, ALLIES CONDEMN DEPLOYMENT OF TROOPS

The Save Nigeria Group (SNG) and its allies, have flayed the Federal Government over the deployment of troops and tanks in the Gani Fawehimi Freedom Square, Ojota, Lagos. In a statement made available to Daily Sun, Chief Convener of the SNG, Pastor Tunde Bakare, said 'the Save Nigeria Group and its allies, flayed the deployment of troops and tanks to the Gani Fawehimi Freedom Square at Ojota, Lagos, which had hosted peaceful and popular protests for five days running last week.'

Bakare said 'to the credit of the organizers of the protests and the maturity of the millions of Nigeria who trooped to the rally ground, we have had violence free gatherings for days with great comportment and no loss of life, damage to property or violation of any law of the land.'

The SNG however said it was curious that a democratic government would deploy military tanks and troops against such a peaceful assembly of the people in clear violation of the constitutionally guaranteed right of the citizens to freely assemble and express their feelings.

'This is a clear case of intolerance and shutting of the democratic space against the people of Nigeria, which must be condemned by all democracy loving people around the world.

'We have equally reviewed the broadcast of President Goodluck Jonathan, where he unilaterally offered to reduce the pump price of petrol to N97 per litre.

'This tokenism shows that the display of people's power in the last few days has not been in vain but it is far little to be acceptable.

'We demand a reversal to the pre-Jan 1, pump price of N65 per litre as a basis for a conducive atmosphere for a national conversation on the oil sector and how to deal with the corruption that has brought this needless crisis on the 7th largest producer of crude in the world that has been made to depend on import for its refined product consumption,' the SNG stated.

Saluting the resilience of the Nigerian people who have demonstrated that they have all it takes to fight for their rights on a sustained basis in the most peaceful manner to the chagrin of their adversaries , the SNG further stated that 'the seed of permanent change had been sown in our land and it would germinate and bear the fruits of freedom.'