Hundreds of police officers and security personnel have been stationed in major cities across the country as organizers of the #EndBadGovernance protest gear up for a one million-man march today, according to Saturday REPORTS.
The 10-day protest, which reaches its peak today, has been marked by violence, including the deaths of protesters and attacks on journalists.
The demonstrators across the nation are calling for the reinstatement of the fuel subsidy, a raise in the minimum wage to N250,000, and an end to poor governance, among other demands.
While the protest seemed to have lost steam in some parts of the country, momentum was sustained in other parts such as Kano, Kaduna, Rivers, and Bauchi.”
The organizing groups threatened to shut down the entire country today (Saturday) to push for their demands, stating that President Bola Tinubu’s speech on Sunday was unconvincing.
In a televised broadcast, Tinubu had urged the protesters to end the rallies, appealing for patience as he worked to address the nation’s issues.
However, the protesters told Saturday PUNCH that they were mobilizing for the one-million-man march to culminate the 10-day protest.
In a statement on Friday, Sanyaolu Juwon, the National Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, stated that the August 10 protest would be a crucial turning point in the nationwide #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria campaign.
He stated, “The Take It Back Movement, along with other organizers and groups, will lead a one-million-man protest in each of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on August 10.
“This event will represent a significant milestone in our nationwide #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria campaign, which started on August 1, 2024.”
“It began as a planned 10-day protest but has led into a sustained and widespread movement, attracting participants from every part of Nigeria and the Diaspora.”
Juwon also called for the release of the protesters and organizers detained by security forces.
He stated, “Regarding the alarming issue of unlawful arrests, we strongly denounce the detention of Michael Adaramoye (Lenin), Babatunde Oluajo, and others who were arrested on August 5, as well as on previous and subsequent days. Their ongoing imprisonment by the DSS and the police is a blatant violation of their rights. We demand their immediate release and an end to these unjust detentions.”
