Angry youths trooped out in hundreds in Osogbo, the Osun state capital, on Friday to protest the high cost of living and insecurities that have brought unbearable hardship to the citizens of the country.
The youths, who condemned the present economic hardships that have forced many Nigerians to be involved in immoral acts, kidnapping, and other nefarious inhuman activities in the country, called on the concerned authorities to address the issue before it goes out of hand.
Armed with placards with different inscriptions that read, “Nigerians are suffering; we can’t cope again’, and ‘We are humans; stop mistreating the citizens, among others, they marched around the town to register their grievances about the development they described as hellish.
The protesters, who later converged at the MDS area of the town, vowed not to relent on the protesting exercise until their demands were met.
Speaking with newsmen, the chairman of the Osun Civil Societies Coalition, Mr Waheed Lawal, said the protest would continue until the Federal Government finds solutions to the current economic hardship ravaging the country.
According to him, ” What Nigerians deserve now is the best. They promised us renewed hope, but what they are giving us now is renewed hardship. We reject renewed hardship in our lives and in our economy because Nigerians deserve the best.”
“What Nigerians want is a peaceful atmosphere. We don’t want insecurity in our land again. We can’t travel from Osogbo to Ibadan without panicking. You will be thinking that they will kidnap you.
“The abduction of monarchs is the order of the day in our country now. We urge the government to provide security for the lives and property of its citizens. It is their responsibility; it is a constitutional responsibility.”
“Every government that fails to provide security for the lives of its citizens is no longer a government. What we are saying is simple: we are ready to face the government in this hardship, and we are marathon runners.”
“We have started this struggle today, and if the government fails to listen to us, we will continue to mobilise our people to protest this hardship because enough is enough.”
He, however, charged the government to bring to an end the suffering of the people and do whatever they need to improve the welfare of their citizens.
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