Students, activists, members of civil society groups, led a protest held in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, on Monday, to advance for good governance in the country.
Convened on the platform of Oyo Voice, in front of the main gate of the University of Ibadan, the different speakers decried growing hopelessness, poverty, high cost of living, inflation and despondency in the country.
The protest was conducted under the watchful eyes of policemen of Sango division, SP Joyce Maiyaki as mandated by the state Commissioner of Police, from about 8am to 11am that the protest ended.
At the end of the protest, Nigerian Tribune observed that the Divisional Police Officer, Sango Division, went with Convener of Oyo Voice, Mr Tokunbo Salako and two others for a meeting said to be with the state Commissioner of Police, Sam Adegbuyi.
Speaking earlier, Convener, Oyo Voice, Tokunbo Salako noted that the protest was overdue owing to hardship, growing anger and mass dissatisfaction of Nigerians at the continued failure of present and past government, regardless of political affiliation, to positively impact upon their living condition.
“Nigerians are suffering. The national protest is long overdue. This present government was voted in because Nigerians were tired of the wastefulness of the last administration. If they cannot change the course of the country, they should vacate the office and let people who are innovative enough to manage this country to take over. Nigerians are tired and would not take this anymore,” Salako said.
Sharing same displeasure at the state of the nation, Secretary, Socialist party of Nigeria, Oyo state chapter, Abiodun Bamgboye, called for a united front by Nigerians in the struggle for the socialist transformation of the country.
Bamgboye especially bemoaned the failure of the Nigerian Labour Congress and other trade unions to lead struggle for improvement in the lives of Nigerians.
“We feel that Nigerians cannot continue to be quiet given the kind of crisis under which they live on a daily basis. We need no one to tell us that the hardship in the land is unbearable. A bag of land is about N20,000, kerosene has become about N400 per litre. The rate at which Nigerians are losing their jobs is unbearable.”
“The Buhari regime and successive regime have proved that the country cannot move forward by capitalism hence it is high time for Nigerians to be united in a struggle for the socialist transformation of the Nigerian state and economy.”
“The sudden prominence gained by a popular musician is an indication of the failure of the Nigerian Labour Congress and other trade unions. The NLC, TUC, ULC should live up to their historical responsibility to, at all times, lead struggle and movement of Nigerians against any anti-people policies of government,” Bamgboye said.
Civil rights activist, Femi Aborishade pointed out that it was high time Nigerians protested bad governance and impoverishment of their lives.
“This protest is against bad governance, impoverishment of the lives of Nigerians. They recently said that they were setting up committee to tackle high price of goods and services. They ought to know that it is their policy that brought about skyrocketing of goods of services. The government should provide employment or unemployment allowance. We also demand free medical care,” Aborishade said.
Another activist, Sewa Adekoya said, “Enough is enough. We are tired of bad governance. We will continue to be conscious until our agitation gets to the government. This is not against a specific political party but against government. We want the true change promised to us.”
Also speaking at the protest, another activist, Amuda Mosigbodi-Plato stated, “The problem is not political parties but the political class. You see them cross carpet from one political party to the other, and none of the political party can be said to have a political ideology. The people voted for good governance, regardless the nomenclature of political party.”
and then