You can’t intimidate Nigerians into patriotism, AAC lectures Buhari’s DSS
The threat by the Department of State Services (DSS) to clamp down on President Muhammadu Buhari’s political enemies cannot create a nation of patriots.
This is according to opposition political party, the African Action Congress (AAC).
DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya had, Sunday, vowed to deal with religious and political leaders who call for regime change or make comments the secret service believes could endanger national security.
The DSS threat followed a plea by the presidency for journalists to stop publishing stories that make Nigerians angry.
But AAC spokesperson Femi Adeyeye, Monday, said the DSS cannot just wake up and draw lines on the fundamental numan rights of Nigerians.
Read the AAC statement below:
IN THE ABSENCE OF SOCIAL JUSTICE, THE DSS CAN NOT INTIMIDATE NIGERIANS INTO FORCED PATRIOTISM
It is no news anymore that the polity has been engaged by Nigerians with a lot of agitations for social, political and economic justice. There is no overbloating that these agitations are being orchestrated across the full length and breadth of the country with Nigerians in diaspora not excluded.
In the acceptance of the aforementioned, the Department of State Services (DSS) in a press statement released on 2nd May 2021 and signed by its Public relations officer, Mr Peter Afunanya has taken its usual uncivilized posture of heating up the polity with threats and subversive statements against the constitutional rights of Nigerians to freely speak, assemble and protest against the unfortunate trend of insecurity, poverty, corruption and total lack of respect for citizenship.
It is indeed unfortunate that this security outfit that has been grossly incapable of fishing out terrorists, bandits; ‘’unknown gun men’’ both on our streets and inside government offices; such gross incompetence, that has turned the country to a hotbed of kidnappings, terrorism and banditry has suddenly found its reed voice and has taken to the market to threaten Nigerians whom in an harmonious manner have passed a vote of no confidence on the tyrannical and anti-people Buhari regime.
For a country that now ranks 3rd most terrorized nation in the world, it is rather pathetic that instead of addressing this ridiculous ‘’feat’’, the regime concerns itself with a misplaced priority of chasing after protesters and critics while empowering, protecting and defending terrorists.
It is evident that the DSS needs a course on democratic tenets and principles and how people’s rights to disagree must be respected. The act of drawing a red line to people’s rights must be condemned by all and sundry just as we have always maintained in the African Action Congress (AAC). As a party, we have long come to the conclusion that the Buhari regime is incapable of running a democratic and highly effective government guided by the rule of law.
It is our position at the African Action Congress that the rights of Nigerians to freely assemble, organize and express themselves without any intimidation must be fully respected. We reiterate for the umpteenth time that patriotism cannot be forced on a people who have been denied social justice.
Signed:
Femi Adeyeye
National Public Secretary, AAC
3/5/2021
