By Rasheeda Yahaya
Distinguished Senator Diket Plang representing Plateau Central in the 10th Senate has called on Nigerians to embrace dialogue in airing their grievances to the government rather than protest.
Senator Plang made the call in an exclusive interview with ROtv24 in his office at the national assembly complex where he commended the various trade unions, labour leaders and the security forces in handling the protest well despite some negative outcomes encountered.
He said:
“I want to commend most trade unions, labour forces for showing restraint, I also want to commend the security forces in handling the protest despite the fact that we witnessed unprecedented destruction and killings of lives which is very unfortunate though we did not expect that, but the police handled it well”.
In his call to the youths and Nigerians at large, senator Diket has urged the protesters to maintain professionalism and decorum during any protest to avoid violating the law in the process of seeking for their fundamental human rights even as the constitution has given the rights and privileges to do so.
“I desire to congratulate Nigerians for attaining a continuous democratic era from 1999 unobstructed, this now implies that democratic governance and a democratic policy is begining to be part of us and has come to stay, and our constitution section 40 1999 as amended has given the citizen the freedom to groups/Individuals to protest and air out your grievances and expectations to the government, and also to be protected during that protest so that they will not to be molested”
“However, the law does not define accountability, in executing your fundamental right particularly in protest, chapter 2 and chapter 3 of the constitution also spelt out that there’s a limit to that, because if a protest turns out to be vandalism and distruction which becomes a threat especially to the loss of innocent lives and properties then it has become impunity and the protester have become a risk and his right is undenied”
“That was the reason why some religious leaders, government stakeholders and traditional leaders had suggested that the protest should be shield and dialogue embraced so that whatever the protesters have as a complained should be dialogued on a round table because history has shown that many protests did not end well as it leads to loss of lives, and so well meaning Nigerians were concern about the ability to contain and sustain it as a protest not leading to rioting”
Senator Diket Plang also shared his personal opinion noting that protest does not necessarily mean accountability will be achieved, he instead advises all agreed parties to embrace dialogue..
“But for me protest does not necessarily guarantee accountability because you who have gone out to protest means you have to also become accountable because you vow to only protest, but as protesters one should not go above your fundamental rights which stated that there is a limit on how to protest and also the youths of Nigeria that it should be dialogue rather than protest for the fact that it may not be controlled”
When asked why some security tried to prevent protesters using force and teargass the senator said it was as a result of the violation of the protest venue, “there are venues where the protesters were asked not to go but violated and so the security had to use such such force”
He equally lamented how some of the leadership of the protests have no control of the protest, and further gave examples of the peaceful protest witnessed in Jos before the unfortunate interference of some miscreant who took advantage of the situation causing havoc and forced the state to go under curfew.
“I scored the protest well Because we are still learning, well we make mistakes again and i hope that we would pick up from exceeding from protest to rioting as a way of preventing it when next it happens”
Senator Plang also said Nigeria is a very heterogeneous country coming with hetorinogenius opinions and most he careful in handling things.
He further lament on the use of another countries flag during the protest as a very serious offence which goes beyond protest and a very sensitive national issue and whoever has that should faced the law.
Diket Plang finally ascribed to Nigeria’s to embrace their country and avoid destructive tendencies during protest, encourage entrepreneurship by supporting locally established businesses for a more sustainable economic freedom.
Distinguished Senator Diket Plang is the chairman senate committee on employment labour and productivity, vice chairman federal character commission and member of numerous committees/Ad-hoc committee including the recently inaugurated Petroleum investigative hearing committee.