Prominent human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Barrister Femi Falana, has expressed his concern over calls for the return of military rule in Nigeria.
In a recent statement, he highlighted the ignorance of the looting and plundering of Nigeria’s resources and the violation of human rights, and in extreme cases, the murder of patriots that characterized military dictatorships as the reason some young Nigerians are advocating for such a drastic change.
The lawyer pointed out that the lack of awareness among the youth about the dark history of military dictatorship in Nigeria has contributed to their willingness to consider this option. He mentioned that the younger generation has not been adequately educated about how a group of military dictators exploited and looted the nation’s resources for nearly three decades.
“There were calls for military rule under Presidents Jonathan and Buhari. Don’t blame the young Nigerians who are advocating a return of military rule in Nigeria.
“After all, they were not taught in school how a gang of military dictators plundered the nation’s resources for 28 years. Or how one general stole $12 billion, and his colleague made away with $5 billion,” the Senior Advocate of Nigeria said.
Furthermore, Barrister Femi Falana emphasized that the absence of proper education regarding the sacrifices made by patriots who opposed military rule has worsened the situation.
“They were not taught in school how patriots were killed, detained, or exiled for opposing military rule in Nigeria,” he added.
Adding to these concerns, the human rights lawyer highlighted that young people today have seen little improvement in their lives during the past 24 years of civilian rule. This perception has fueled their disillusionment and frustrated their aspirations for a better future.
In his words, “To compound the crisis, young people have not noticed any positive improvement in their lives in the past 24 years of civilian rule.”