By Damilare Adeleye
On October 1, 2024, some Nigerians have threatened to occupy major cities across the country in protest against prevailing harsh economic realities inflicted on the masses.
Even though the Nigeria’s 64th Independence Day coincides with the planned date, the protest organisers have insisted on embarking on the nationwide demonstration in response to unprecedented hunger and bad governance.
The fresh protest tagged: #EndBadGovernancelnNigeria 2.0, is coming barely two months after a similar demonstration in August 2024.
Unlike the August protest which took place for ten days, the organiser of the impending protest have kept silence on the timeframe of their action. Some have, however, vowed to continue the fresh demonstration until when their seventeen demands are convincingly met.
Some of the demands as contained in a flier for the second phase of #EndBadGovernance protest include unconditional release of persons detained for participating in #EndBadGovernancelnNigeria protests in August, the unfreezing of their assets and bank accounts, the removal and prosecution of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, former Commissioner of Police of the FCT, Bernard Igwe, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for “their despicable role in suppressing legitimate protests, the murder of peaceful protesters, and unlawful detention of several protesters, including minors” and the scrapping of the 1999 Constitution and replace it with a new Constitution for the Federal Republic of Nigeria through a Sovereign National Conference immediately followed by a National Referendum.
Other demands are scrapping the Senate arm of the Nigerian legislative system for the House of Representatives, and making lawmaking a part-time service, payment of N250,000 monthly as minimum wage to Nigerian workers, investment in education and allocation of grants to Nigerian students grants, free and compulsory education for children across Nigeria.
Others are unconditional release of ENDSARS and political detainees including IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, and demilitarization of the South East, reinstatement of fuel subsidy, probing of past and present Nigerian leaders “who have looted the treasury. recover their loot, and deposit it in a special account to fund education, healthcare, and infrastructure”, end to banditry, terrorism, and violent crimes through reforms of security agencies, immediate reconstitution of the Nigerian electoral body, massive investment in public industrialization, massive shake-up in the Nigerian judiciary, and diaspora voting system.
Speaking on the planned protest as one of the leading organisers, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, reiterated the demands, maintaining that the October protest will be peaceful.“The protests will be peaceful and they will be national, across the country. The protests will hold across all parts of Nigeria because the scale of the devastation, hunger, insecurity, and hardship that this government has unleashed on Nigerians is national. I will emphasise again that these will be peaceful protests, as they’ve always been.
“The last protests were peaceful, yet the government met the protesters with batons and bullets. We will not be deterred, though. Our only weapon is truth, and no amount of force or violence will prevent us from speaking truth to power,” Sowore declared.
The human rights activist and convener of #RevolutionNow movement noted that previous protests were to call government attention to the economic pains, insecurity and injustices in the land, lamenting that Nigerian people “are facing unimaginable suffering as a result of insensitive and thoughtless policies of the administration.”
“We are prepared to come out to protest. We are determined to do so peacefully. I can assure you that thousands of voices will be raised in protest on October 1. The pangs of hunger and groans of pain of the Nigerian people will not be drowned out by the government. How does the removal of subsidy protections for the common man benefit Nigerians? We have seen petrol prices go from N197 per liter to N1,100 and Nigerians should wait? Wait for what? Wait until they are all dead from hunger and suffering? “Why should we wait before workers are given a living wage? After all this government has continued on a buying spree – purchasing new bullet proof cars, new airplanes, yatchs and the like while telling us Nigeria is broke.
“It took them just two weeks to pass a bill and change the national anthem. They’ve demonstrated a capacity to move fast on some issues. Now we need them to move with the same speed on these pressing matters. No. The wait is over. We demand action now.”
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police has directed all formations to deploy covert operatives to all nooks and crannies of the country to ensure that no protest is allowed during the Nigeria’s 64th Independence Anniversary celebrations.A police wireless message obtained on Thursday, mandated officers to take all necessary measures to stop the planned nationwide strike by “some unscrupulous elements” during October 1st celebrations.
All Police formations were ordered to continue to engage in meetings/dialogue with leadership of identified groups to dissuade them from the planned protest, warning that nothing untoward should be allowed.
Officers were also put on red alert and to maintain well kitted standby to forestall any breakdown of law and order.