Various civil society groups on Monday flocked to the streets of Benin City to protest the rising rate of sufferings and pains the citizens have been subjected to because of the different “unfavourable” policies.
The different groups including Edo Civil Society Organizations (EDOCSO), Faculty of Peace Organization among others converged at the Oba Ovonramwen square popularly called ring road, marched through major roads, popularly markets, and urged the Federal Government to find a better solution to the untold hardships brought by the subsidy removal.
The protesters maintained that those in authorities have always fed fat without considering the masses, who have been left with no choice but to struggle to survive with reduced purchasing power while the political class continue to enjoy and pay deaf ears to recurring calls for a reduction in the cost of governance.
In their usual manner, the groups displayed placards with inscriptions that read thus, “Kill corruption not Nigerians; fuel price is choking us, FG allow the poor breath; FG fix our refineries; cost of living in Nigeria is affecting the poor”, and chanted “enough is enough”.
Austine Enabulele, interim chairman of EDOCSO, claimed that those in government are enjoying at the expense of Nigerians’ sweat, and called for a purposeful leadership as well as strategies to lessen the burden of hardship on the citizenry.
Enabulele, however, queried the proposed N70billion palliative meant for new members of the National Assembly, pointing out that “If the government is serious, how on earth will they earmark such money for frivolities while 12million households receive N8,000 as subsidy palliative?”
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According to him, “Nigerians are choking, businesses are shutting down. In less than two months of this current administration, businesses are folding up. This is not what we asked for. We asked that the security and welfare of Nigerians should be the priority of government just as stated in the constitution but the reverse is the case.
“We came out today to tell the president that he is choking us. He should allow us breath, do not suffocate us. Fuel price is choking us, we can no longer leave our houses, we cannot do our businesses. There is no power supply, then how do they expect small businesses to survive with this fuel price,” he said.
Speaking also, Kola Edokpayi, said “it is no longer news that the poverty rate has increased under the watch of our president. It is sad we are where we are today. We cannot continue like this. Imagine lawmakers proposed N70bn palliative when the masses are suffering.”
