By Adesina Wahab & Elizabeth Osayande

A group of panelists at a forum organised by the Education Writers Association of Nigeria, EWAN, has said not having any particularly discernible leader is the greatest drawback to the protest being planned by some people in the country.

According to them, if the protest goes ahead, there would be nobody to direct when to stop and how to stop it.

They, however, agreed that it is the constitutional right of the citizens to legitimately vent their anger on any issue of national interest.

The panelists spoke during a zoom meeting organised by EWAN at the weekend.

The panelists were Mr Victor Ahiuma-Young, the Labour Editor of Vanguard newspaper, Mr Osa Director, a journalist cum lawyer and the National President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Comrade Lucky Emonefe.

In his remarks, Ahiuma-Young said his experience as a labour reporter showed that there would always be need for protests to have leaders who would direct how things would go.

“I have my own fears. The planned protest has no arrow head and that is a recipe for disaster. There is the propensity for it to be hijacked. If it is a protest organised by the labour movement for instance, they would have a purpose, the duration of the protest and if things are getting out of hand, they have the mechanism to control events. When people driving a cause are unknown, the course may be unknown.

“During the EndSARS protest, it was eventually taken over by some hoodlums and I went through hell to get home that day. I paid through my nose for hoodlums to let me pass. We need to understand the kind of country we live in. Already, the issue has been politicised, ethnicised and so on. Our security agents are trained to kill. If it is something we can do without it leading to violence, we need it.

But not now as the tension is high. There is no leadership driving the protest”, he said.

Director, in his submission, said Nigerians have the inalienable right to protest.

“The constitution of the country guarantees the right to protest and even President Bola Tinubu is a product of protests. Is it in NADECO, Occupy Nigeria and others. He should let the people say what is agitating their minds. Those trying to paint the protest in the colours of politics, religion and ethnicity are only being mischievous,” he submitted.

Director expressed disgust at the type of leadership Nigerian students now have, saying Nigerian students were known for vibrancy.

In his comment, Emonefe said Nigerian students would not be lured by anybody to cause chaos in the country.

“Nobody will lure Nigerian students to go on a faceless strike. We have a leadership that we are proud of. We also don’t take decisions singlehandedly, we consult and there is no way NANS can be used for selfish reasons, ” he noted.

The panelists agreed that the government must take urgent steps to address burning issues in the country and not allow it to slide into anarchy.

The Chairman of EWAN, Mr Mojeed Alabi, said the association owes it a duty to be in the fore front of public discourse on topical issues.

He gave the assurance that the body would also help sensitise the people, as it has always been doing, on national issues.