Several civil society groups in Lagos have pledged to take to the streets on Thursday to kick off their protest against the nation’s economic difficulties.
The groups involved, including Education Right Campaign, Joint Action Front, Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights, and others, announced their plans during a press conference held in Abule Egba, Lagos.
Speaking to the media on behalf of these organizations, Hassan Taiwo, the National Coordinator of ERC, emphasized that the protest is intended to be nonviolent and cautioned against any attempts to incite violence.
Hassan said, “The peaceful protest will be held in Lagos like other parts of the country starting from August 1 to 15, 2024 and the take-off point will be at Ikeja under Bridge, Lagos State, at 7 am.”
He outlined the protest demands, which include reverting the fuel price to its level before May 29, 2023. This date marks the moment when President Bola Tinubu, during his inauguration, declared the end of the fuel subsidy. This decision led to a sharp increase in petrol prices nationwide and subsequent rises in the cost of goods and services.
Additionally, the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are calling for a rollback of electricity tariffs to their rates prior to May 29, 2023.
Other demands are: “An end to hardship and hunger, recall all victimised activists, free all #EndSARS detainees, end to the school fee hike, provide study grants, not loans, placement of all political office holders on minimum wage, and reversal of all anti-poor and neo-liberal capitalist policies.”
“We are demanding the fixing of all public refineries and building new ones under democratic control and management, reversal of all privatisation of public enterprises and placing them under democratic control and management. We are demanding an end to insecurity, police brutality, and kidnapping, we are saying no to illegal demolition/forced eviction, we are demanding the creation of decent jobs and payment of unemployment benefits to those unemployed, we are demanding the prosecution of all corrupt politicians and return all stolen wealth,” the CSOs said.
They called for an end to the security vote and demanded free quality health care for all Nigerians.
They also called for an end to attacks on press freedom, and the release of all political detainees “including journalists and bloggers.”
Read Also: N50,000 Monthly Stipends to 10,000 Niger Delta Youths
They said political parties in favour of the interest of Nigerian citizens should be established.
Other parties and CSOs that backed the demands include the Yoruba Revolutionary Movement, Mafoluku Community, Amilcar Cabral Ideological School Movement (ACIS-M), Youth Rights Campaign, People’s Redemption Party Vanguard, and the Movement for African Emancipation.
In the same vein, the Lagos State Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, one of the key organisers of the August protest, Adekunle Taofeek, said, “We are not coming out to loot or destroy properties but to demonstrate peacefully to seek for good governance.”
In a statement sent to PUNCH Online, he said the protest aimed to put an end to hardship “eating us up.”
“We will also work with the police and be on red alert to hand over any suspected hoodlums in our midst to the police for questioning and trial,” he said, urging the police to cooperate with the protesters “so that what happened during the #EndSARS protest wouldn’t repeat itself.”
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, held a virtual meeting on Tuesday with key members of the Take It Back Movement, including prominent lawyers, Femi Falana (SAN) and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN).
According to a statement released by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the meeting addressed the group’s planned nationwide protest and aimed to ensure citizens’ safety while upholding their constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
The PUNCH
