Former Minister of Education, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of stifling civic freedoms and undermining citizens’ rights in Nigeria.
In a post on X titled “A Memo to Nigerians: A Call to Collective Voice on the Shrinking Civic Space and Erosion of Citizens’ Rights in Nigeria”, Ezekwesili condemned what she described as a “deeply troubling trend” of shrinking civic space and intolerance toward dissent.
She called on Tinubu to order the immediate release of activist Omoyele Sowore and his colleagues and urged Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to publicly apologise to EiE Nigeria’s Executive Director, Yemi Adamolekun, and fellow activist Ms. Nafziger.
Ezekwesili highlighted three recent incidents as evidence of this trend: the harassment of Adamolekun during a peaceful #EndSARS memorial, the police crackdown on pro-Nnamdi Kanu protesters, and Sowore’s repeated arrests despite a valid court order granting him bail. She warned that these actions reflect “an unmistakable dangerous trend” of a government “intolerant of dissent, allergic to accountability, and fearful of citizens’ voices.”
“True strength of a government does not lie in its ability to suppress criticism, but in its capacity to protect the rights of those who speak truth to power,” Ezekwesili wrote. She urged Nigerians to defend their democratic rights, emphasizing that sovereignty belongs to the people, not government officials.
“Nigeria’s democracy cannot survive on the silencing of conscience. Every act of repression against one citizen diminishes the liberty of all. We must collectively safeguard our right to speak, assemble, and demand accountability,” she added.