Falana and CSOs Call for Nationwide Protest on June 12 Over Insecurity and Hardship

Wale Igbintade

A coalition of civil society organisations, labour activists, youth groups, community associations and concerned Nigerians has declared that Nigeria’s Democracy Day on 12 June will be marked by a nationwide protest and mass action against worsening insecurity, widespread hunger and deepening economic hardship across the country.

The coalition, which includes prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), musician and activist Falz (Folarin Falana), the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), the Joint Action Front (JAF), the Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) and several other groups, accused the Federal Government of failing to address the security and economic challenges confronting millions of Nigerians.

In a statement issued yesterday, the coalition said there was little for ordinary Nigerians to celebrate on Democracy Day as many citizens continued to grapple with insecurity, poverty, inflation and declining living standards.

According to the groups, communities across the country remain under constant threat from terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements who continue to operate with impunity despite repeated assurances from government authorities that insecurity is being tackled.

The coalition expressed solidarity with families who have lost loved ones to terrorism, banditry and kidnapping, and called for immediate government action to secure the release of Nigerians currently being held captive by criminal groups in various parts of the country.

The statement specifically mentioned victims of abductions in Oyo, Borno, Katsina, Kwara, Ekiti, Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger states, as well as other parts of the federation affected by kidnapping and related crimes.

“The Nigerian people deserve a pro‑people government that places the protection of lives and property at the core of governance,” the coalition said.

The groups lamented that despite years of official assurances that insecurity was being defeated, attacks on communities continued unabated while farmers, students and ordinary citizens remained vulnerable.

They noted that several communities had been repeatedly attacked, schools remained under threat, farmers were unable to safely access their farmlands and many highways across the country had become increasingly unsafe.

According to the coalition, countless families continue to live with the trauma of losing loved ones or having relatives held captive by criminal gangs.

Beyond the security situation, the coalition accused the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of implementing economic policies that have worsened the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians.

The groups argued that the removal of fuel subsidy, repeated increases in fuel prices, currency devaluation, rising electricity tariffs and what they described as the commercialization of essential services had pushed millions of Nigerians deeper into poverty.

They contended that despite significant increases in statutory allocations accruing to the federal, state and local governments, the economic well‑being of ordinary citizens had continued to deteriorate.

The coalition said food prices had reached unprecedented levels, making basic necessities increasingly unaffordable for many households.

It further observed that transportation costs had become unbearable for workers and families, while small and medium‑scale enterprises were struggling to survive due to rising operational costs driven by expensive fuel, unstable electricity supply and declining consumer purchasing power.

The groups also expressed concern that workers’ wages remained inadequate in the face of rising inflation, which they said continued to erode the value of incomes and worsen poverty levels.

The coalition stated that the planned 12 June protest would form part of a broader campaign aimed at compelling the government to take urgent and meaningful steps to address insecurity and reverse what it described as anti‑poor economic policies.

It called on workers, students, traders, artisans, market women, professionals, unemployed youths, religious organisations, trade unions and community groups to begin immediate mobilisation in preparation for the nationwide demonstrations.

According to the organisers, the planned protest is intended to draw attention to the plight of citizens affected by insecurity and economic hardship and to demand concrete government action.

“This protest is about the lives of our children and teachers in captivity. It is about the collective survival of ordinary Nigerians,” the coalition stated.

The groups also urged civil society organisations and progressive movements across the country to unite in demanding the release of all captives and opposing policies they believe have contributed to rising poverty and hardship.

The statement urged Nigerians to collectively demand security, dignity and improved living standards, insisting that the country could no longer tolerate continued killings, kidnappings, hunger and suffering.

Among the signatories to the statement are Falana, who serves as National Chairman of the Alliance on Surviving COVID‑19 and Beyond (ASCAB); activist Hassan Taiwo Soweto of the #EndBadGovernance Movement; CDHR National President Yinka Folarin; Falz; and representatives of several labour, socialist and community‑based organisations.

The planned protest comes amid growing public concerns over the country’s security challenges and economic difficulties, which have continued to dominate national discourse as Nigerians prepare to mark Democracy Day on 12 June.