Hunger protest: Let’s contain this now

Abdur-Rosheed Akintibubo

The frailty of the organisers’ coordination of the so-called ‘peaceful’ hunger protest is now more obvious.

Before this time, many well-meaning Nigerians home and abroad had pleaded with them to shun the exercise because of the observed inherent vulnerability by these individuals. But all warnings fell on deaf ears.

I had predicted pessimistically that nothing ‘peaceful’ should be expected from the then planned protest. This is because, the protest, from my own perspective, would be fraught with lack of proper coordination which was why it was hijacked by armed hoodlums.

As the protest commenced, despite deploying policemen to various locations where the protests were to take place, the situation still turned out to be chaotic, unruly and bloody. In some quarters, they remained deviant to police order; situation reports from Kano, Zaria and some other troubled zones testified to this assertion. Reports also have it that wanton destruction of government property, arson, looting of shops, supermarkets, offices were the order of the day.

This violent protest can continue to wax stronger by the day if urgent solution is delayed to be taken.

As a patriotic Nigerian, I would like to urge the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu to take actions that will put smiles on the faces of the masses.

The president should be informed that the major reason for this public outcry is not unconnected with fuel subsidy removal that accounts for escalating fuel pump price by the day and the high cost of food items. “A hungry man, is an angry man”, says the adage

The Federal Government should not tarry, but endeavour to stem the tide of protest threatening our national unity. It should be finally curbed and contained within a reasonable time frame.

Abdur-Rosheed Akintibubo, Ile-Ife, Osun State.

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