Human rights activist Mr Femi Falana, SAN, has described the warning by the Nigeria Police Force, urging youths to refrain from using the trending slogan ‘no gree for anybody’ as laughable.
Falana said the police cannot ban the expression, which he said constitutes no threat to law and order.
His words: “I no gree for anybody is an expression of antiquity, and the police cannot stop or criminalise it. When President Bola Tinubu came to Lagos recently, Nigerians expressed their feeling to him that there is hunger in the land.
That is a form of ‘I no go gree’. The expression does not in any way constitute a threat to law and order. Nobody can be charged to court for using that expression, and if the police feel differently, they should refer us to the portion of the law that criminalises such ancient expression.”
Former 2nd Vice-President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Dr Monday Ubani, also cautioned that while the police have the right to ensure peace in the country, it should not become a ground to infringe on the rights of the citizens to express themselves.
“The security agencies are there to maintain law and order, so, if the police say that they have carried out an intel which suggests that the slogan is capable of causing crisis in the country, they have a right to prevent it.
“In doing that, there must, however, be a balance. If people are expressing themselves without ulterior motives or the expression degenerating into a security threat, it will be wrong to infringe on people’s right to express themselves.
“I think the slogan is just a motivation for people and generates the right spirit in them to do the right thing, stand against any form of intimidation or oppression, and improve their lives.
“As far as that is the case, it would be wrong for the police to stop people from expressing themselves. What is important is peace, and the police have the right to ensure peace in the country.
“If there is no peace in the country, investors cannot come in, so we must all ensure that there is peace in the country,” Ubani told Vanguard.
In Hausa, “ban yarda ba!” If we must agree in all things, then we must all be cowards and are into slavery and bondage.