The Joint Nigeria Civil Society Action
calls on all Nigerians to join in activities to commemorate the second National Day of Mourning and Remembrance for all victims of
violent killings across Nigeria. Our call comes at a time when virtually all
states of our country have been beset by violent killings with impunity.
Currently at the epicenter of these crises is the ongoing violent killings in Kaduna
and Zamfara states, which are rapidly spiraling into a national catastrophe and
are threatening the very fiber of our nationhood.
Our recently concluded
national and state elections were also not spared; and were marred by violence
which resulted in in the unfortunate killings of in 626 Nigerians between the
start off of campaigns and the announcement of results.
The National Day of Mourning and Remembrance is
a citizens led initiative to express solidarity, and demand accountability for
the security and welfare of all Nigerians.
The resolve for a National Day of Mourning was
consequent to the resolutions reached at a meeting of more than a hundred civil
society actors a year ago in Abuja, to undertake a National Day of Mourning as
a symbolic action capable of registering citizens’ dissatisfaction with the
state of our national security, since protests no longer seem to impact the conscience
of our political elites. Among
other objectives, it seeks to:
1.
Stir the conscience of our political class into developing the political will
to protect our commonwealth through accountable governance.
2. Express
solidarity with grieving communities across the country as we acknowledge and
accord dignity to every single Nigerian life that has been lost, or disrupted,
due to violent crises.
3. Rekindle
our sense of nationhood by reminding ourselves that we are in this together,
and that the office of the citizen is the most powerful office that can be
occupied in this country.
4. Assert,
as citizens, an end in our docility to no longer condone the narratives that
seek to divide us.
The National Day of Mourning and
Remembrance is scheduled for Tuesday,
May 28, 2019 and will be
marked by a series of symbolic actions listed below:
Solemn Assemblies: as a sign
of our collective mourning, citizens will perform mourning ceremonies at Unity
Fountain, and other strategic locations in all states across the country. The mourning
ceremonies include:
i.
Call their names: Citizens will acknowledge,
and as a sign of respect for those killed, call out the names of as many
individual victims as we can; and call on the government to acknowledge the
loss of these citizens as worthy of more than passing attention. Our citizens
are more than numbers.
ii.
Laying of wreaths: In honour and memory of all citizens lost in
violent killings across the country, wreaths will be laid around each state as
represented at the Unity Fountain, Abuja, and at other strategic symbols of
unity in various states.
Mourning Procession: a silent mourning procession will commence from the locations of the
solemn assemblies, around strategic locations in the various states.
Black: We invite all Nigerians to wear
black on May 28, or at least a black arm band, or black ribbons as a symbol of
their solidarity.
Half-mast flags: We invite all corporate entities,
and the government to fly their flags at half-mast for the entire day.
Silence: We invite all Nigerians to observe
a minute of silence at noon on May 28. Where they cannot be part of a ceremony,
to stand in front of their homes, businesses, cars and be silent for a minute.
For markets, to stop all trading activities for 5 minutes while a bell rings.
We request radio and TV stations to observe the silence and advocate for their
audiences to do the same. We ask for groups and institutions to hold solemn
assemblies at about 11:45 am and observe a minute silence at noon.
As citizens, we remind our
government at every level that Section 14(1)(b) of the Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria states that the Security and Welfare of the people
shall be the primary purpose of government, and therefore demand:
1. For an urgent review of the country's
security architecture
2. The immediate replacement of the
service chiefs
3. The initiation of a government led process of documenting the
deaths towards seeking accountability
4. The provision social security for
victims of including disabled persons, orphans and other socially vulnerable
citizens
5. Provision of better welfare
services -including psychosocial support, for our gallant security personnel.
As mentioned at the start of this statement,
this is a citizens driven movement that is entirely non-partisan and not skewed
to any ethnic or regional leaning. In the spirit of national unity and patriotism, we therefore
call all Nigerians to their roles as occupants of the office of citizens and
join in the commemoration of this event in their localities.
God bless the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
For Joint Nigeria Civil Society Action
Committee
Signed
Abiodun
Baiyewu Ken
Henshaw
Adamu
Kotokorshi Ier Ichaver-Jonathan
Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, Ph.D
For Coordinating Committee
of the JN-CAC
Nigeria Mourns
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