As early as 10 am on Tuesday morning in Akure, the Ondo State Capital, active citizens, media and several civil society groups took to the popular Oba Adesida road to call on the political class at all levels to put an end to incessant killings, kidnapping and security breaches across the nation, as they join other citizens to mark the National Day of Mourning across the country and remembrance of those ordinary Nigerians that had been lost in several attacks.
Armed with several banners, placards and handbills with inscriptions such as – Nigerian Lives Matters, stop the killings, stop kidnapping and others. The procession which took off at Akure City Hall was terminated at Nigeria Union of Journalist Press Centre, Alagbaka, Akure.
According to the organizers, “The National Day of Mourning and Remembrance was a citizens-led initiative to express solidarity and demand accountability for the security and welfare of all Nigerians. The resolve for a National Day of Mourning was consequent to the resolutions reached at a meeting of more than a hundred civil society actors a year ago in Abuja, to undertake a National Day of Mourning as a symbolic action capable of registering citizens’ dissatisfaction with the state of our national security, since protests no longer seem to impact the conscience of our political elites. Among other objectives, it seeks to:
- Stir the conscience of our political class into developing the political will to protect our commonwealth through accountable governance.
- Express solidarity with grieving communities across the country as we acknowledge and accord dignity to every single Nigerian life that has been lost, or disrupted, due to violent crises.
- Rekindle our sense of nationhood by reminding ourselves that we are in this together and that the office of the citizen is the most powerful office that can be occupied in this country.
- Assert, as citizens, an end in our docility to no longer condone the narratives that seek to divide us”.
The procession which was a successful outing had in attendance Mr. Olamide Omodun of Enough is Enough Nigeria; Mr. Franklin Oloniju of LAPDO; Mr. Oluwagbenga Ajongbolo of Follow The Money, Mr. Oludaisi Omokungbe of Technocrat Media; Oluyemi Fasipe (@yemiefash); journalists and bloggers among others were citizens, students and activists.
