Nigeria Content Online

The Conference of
Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) yesterday criticized the Enugu State
government and the Nigeria Police Force for aborting the protest march
by the Academic Staff Union of Universities in Enugu.

The group also
asked the Inspector General of Police, Ogbonna Onovo to warn police
personnel against stopping peaceful protests in the country since the
Public Order Act has been repealed by the court since 2007.

The police had on
Monday disrupted a rally organized by some members of ASUU to protest
the non-implementation of the salary structure agreed between the union
and the federal government. The police allegedly acted on the orders of
the Enugu State government.

Illegal action

National Publicity
Secretary, Osita Okechukwu told journalists in Abuja that the action of
the police was illegal because there is no law in the country that
gives them the power to stop any person or group of people from
carrying out legitimate and peaceful protests.

He recounted that
in 2005, the CNPP instituted a case in the Federal High Court, Abuja,
presided over by Justice Anwuli, which subsequently repealed the Act.
He added that the Court of Appeal also confirmed the repeal of the Act.

“For peaceful
assembly, the least the people should do is to protect the group in
protest and not to intimidate, harass and restrict them,” Mr Okechukwu
said. “It is painful that all the members of ASUU from all the
south-east states were prevented from entering Enugu. The police need
to be reminded that the obnoxious colonial Public Order Act has been
repealed and so Mr Onovo should call his men to order.”

Freedom to associate

Mr Okechukwu
reminded the police authorities that freedom of association is one of
the dividends of democracy, noting that it is one of the things
Nigerians have been enjoying in the last 11 years.

“Any organization,
especially the police, that encroaches on freedom of association,
cannot in any way be said to be carrying out their statutory duties as
enshrined in the constitution and there can be no democracy without
freedom,” he said.

The CNPP spokesman
described as unfortunate the refusal of the five states in the
south-east geopolitical zones to place education on the front burner,
which he said was one of the reasons for the ASUU protest. He said the
education budget of the state governments hovers around 7 per cent for
education, as against the 26 per cent recommended by UNESCO.