Organizers of the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests against hunger and hardship have declared their intention to continue their agitation, undeterred by the deployment of security operatives aimed at dispersing them.
According to our correspondent monitoring events in the Federal Capital Territory on Tuesday, Ene Obi, former country director of Action Aid Nigeria, and Hauwa Mustapha, key figures in organizing the protests, affirmed their commitment to continue their demonstrations at the Moshood Abiola Stadium until the conclusion of the planned 10-day protest.
Despite their determination, other protesters had abandoned the two women, resulting in no active protests in Abuja on Tuesday.
Addressing journalists, Obi criticized President Bola Tinubu’s recent speech, calling it empty and unresponsive to the protesters’ demands. “Look at the president speaking to Nigeria. It was a totally empty speech. What are you telling us? Not even one of the demands has been met. And you are telling us to go to the stadium. We are here at the stadium, let our children come,” she stated.
Obi further emphasized the need for the government to address the high prices of petroleum products and criticized the administration for previously opposing fuel subsidy removal, only to now use it as a punitive measure against Nigerians. “Bring down the prices of petroleum products. This is the same government that fought against the removal of fuel subsidies. And the same president has used it to punish Nigerians,” she added.
Highlighting the struggles faced by many Nigerians, Obi expressed the frustrations of mothers who feel betrayed by the government. “We are mothers. What they are doing is setting our children against us. Even the police and security agencies- which of them is going to a different market? Their money is useless. They are turning our children against us. We are sitting here, let them tear gas us. So many of them, I can give birth to them,” she said.
Obi also lamented the lack of employment opportunities for educated youths and criticized the government’s bloated ministerial appointments. “The mothers in the land are wounded. No employment. Many of our children have gone to school but have no employment. We are calling for an end to bad governance. They said you need to appoint one minister from every state. We don’t have minister of state in the constitution. And they are even creating more seats for more ministers to come in. There are no signs from the government to show us that they can bring down the cost of governance,” she concluded.
The ongoing protests have seen days of violent clashes in the nation’s capital, with police operatives resorting to tear gas to disperse demonstrators. Despite the challenges, the organizers remain resolute in their demands for better governance and improved living conditions for Nigerians.