Do Nigerians have right to peaceful assembly?

Current police display of abuse of power in Rivers State leaves one to insinuate that Nigeria Democratic laws may after all not include the right for peaceful gathering by citizens. Probably, the events and or culture that characterise military governance are yet to be refined to reflect democratic government or maybe we are just in civilian government and yet to transform into democratic government. If not so, how can we explain the even that has been happening in Rivers State? where an opposition party has lost the right to conduct a peaceful assembly or rally without been chased by the police with gun and tire-gas on the guise of bridge of peace and in some cases fired at. One of the fundamental functions of the police is to provide security for groups that are exercising their constitutional right of peaceful gathering and not to make it impossible for citizens to exercise their enshrined constitutional right. But here in Nigeria, it is a different game; polices carry out their duties selectively. I am not a member of any political party but can guarantee you that if it was PDP that conducted that same rally, police would have provided them security instead of shooting at them as they just did few days ago. Is time we intensify the advocacy for strengthening of government institutions in Nigeria to be able to do their duties objectively. Nigeria cannot join leading developed countries in the near future if government institutions such as Inec, Police, Army, etc always dance to the tune of the ruling party at the expense of citizens. This is achievable in this country. If Egyptian army can refuse to kill nor shoot at Egyptians during the freedom rally or movement that removed long serving Hosni Mubarak, then I believe that a day will come in Nigeria when government institution will solely serve the citizens they were instituted for. This will come if I and you will keep on advocating for that day…by speaking out where, when and how things go wrong in this country. We cannot lose hope in Nigeria…..we don’t have another country that we can legitimately and proudly call our own. Hope for a better Nigeria must be kept alive. Long live Nigerians, long live Nigeria.