Nigerians across the country on Thursday staged a protest, calling on the government to end bad governance in the country.
The protest with the hashtag #EndBadGovernance is planned to last for 10 days beginning August 1.
In Lagos, the protesters converged at the popular Ikeja Underbridge and marched peacefully to the Ojota park of the state.
Our correspondent observed that the police were around to ensure safety and prevent any kiosk.
The protest, which was also held in Abuja and many other part of the country had Nigerians lamenting high cost of food price, petrol scarcity, high cost of living, insecurity, poor education and health system.
Speaking with our correspondent, student leaders, Gani Israel and Eruobami Ayobami, lament that it is quite disheartening that the ruling elites in the country have taken Nigerians for granted.
They call on President Bola Tinubu to as a matter of urgency fix the nation’s economy and make life better for citizens of the country.
“As a matter of urgent national importance, the Tinubu’s administration must at this point fix the economy and make the country work. That is our demand as a people.”
They further decried the statement of the Senate President, Goodswill Akpabio that Nigerians can keep protesting while they (the elites) eat at the comfort of their home.
“It is quite frightening that, whenever people ask for improved well- being, they are always categorised as being unreasonable. They try as much as they can to confuse the people and cause division in order to make everyone feel that our demands for an end to hardship are not valid.”
“Meanwhile, this struggle is most important for the overall well-being of everyone,” they said.
They described the protest as a means to invoke a radical response from the government which will help address the needs of the people in order to quench their suffering.
However, “such a radical response that is needed is not the same as what this administration has been doing for some few days since the declaration for a protest was made by the people.”
They further argued that the present administration has failed to meet the hopes and aspirations
“Obviously, the Tinubu’s administration is not moving in the direction of listening to the demands of the protest. The demands of the people are reasonable. Unfortunately, Tinubu has been engaging in a cosmetic show of addressing the demands of this protest to end bad governance.”
They noted that following the promises made and yet to be fulfilled by the current administration, “hence, there is a need to pressure Tinubu to keep all promises because the masses can no longer wait.”
They demanded for “a nation that works. A nation where the average worker can earn a decent wage and give their family a decent life; a nation where no one goes to bed hungry; a nation that is secured and goes all out to protect its citizens from harm; a nation where the dreams and aspirations of the average man can come to fruition.”
Meanwhile, BusinessDay earlier reported closure of business activities in different parts of the country.
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