The United Civil Society Organizations in Bauchi State have said there is a need for the Federal Government led by President Bola Tinubu to take decisive action against foreign interference in Nigeria’s political and internal affairs.
The Group made the statement through Aliyu Mukaddas and Mu’azu Bala in Bauchi, the State Capital, saying, “Foreign interference poses one of the greatest threats to national security, our way of life, and our economic prosperity and sovereignty. We must shine a light on these threats, and come together as a Country to defend our nation from any interference.
“Sovereignty is a substantive term designating supreme authority over some polity. Sovereignty is therefore the power of the state to make and apply its own laws and to control its affairs without the interference of other states. It is the full right and power of a governing body over itself, without any interference from outside sources or bodies.
“Nigeria reserves the right to be insulated from suggestions and or interference with respect to wholly internal affairs and commends international laws, customs and norms that mandate and require nations and the comity to respect this prerogative to all.
“We have keenly observed a lot of foreign interference by foreign governments and their agents in Nigeria’s domestic affairs. This issue is very critical and we are urging the government to deal with any entity within the country found to have directly or indirectly supported the flying of a foreign flag within the country, during and after the protest.
“We therefore advocate for a strong and unified response to protect Nigeria’s autonomy and uphold the integrity of our democratic processes. Addressing these foreign influences is essential to preserving our national stability, ensuring that Nigeria’s decisions and policies remain in the hands of its people.”
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The Group however urged the Tinubu’s administration to take decisive action against those responsible for the provocative, unpatriotic and divisive act to prevent its future occurrence.
They also called on the security operatives to continue to maintain peace, law, and order in the country in line with the necessary conventions on human rights to which Nigeria is a signatory, as the safety and security of all Nigerians are paramount.
The Group, who also spoke on the right to peaceful protest by the citizens in the Country, said: “These protesters, who are in exercise of their fundamental right to peaceful assembly guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), some of them have crossed their boundaries and we demand the government to take legal action against them to serve as deterrence to others.”
They demanded that the Federal Government consider the following items.
“There are several offences created by law that relate to the National flag and the use of any flag in Nigeria, Nigeria Police to seize and remove any flag that is being used to commit an offence in any part of Nigeria.
“Other demands include, the punishment for offences relating to the national flag being N150.00 only and there is no option of imprisonment. The punishment is unpatriotic and cannot deter offenders. It is a mockery of today’s reality,
“The Federal Government saw the need for National Assembly to amend the federal law (The Flag and Coat of Arms Act of 1960) to include only imprisonment as the punishment and to do away with the option of fine and the sixty (60) years old federal law need and urgent amendment as well as other laws relating to affects Nigeria’s sovereignty and collective progress.
“The presence and use of foreign symbols may be used to undermine national security and stability, giving undue leverage to external entities seeking to exploit domestic issues for their own agendas, we have seen how foreign actors collude with unpatriotic citizens destabilize many African countries, including Sudan, Libya and Mali to mention but few.
“We believe that displaying foreign flags during the protest was an attempt to undermine national sovereignty and we believe that holding those accountable for acts that undermine our country’s sovereignty is essential for preserving the integrity of our democratic institutions and processes”, the Group added.
