Protesters in their hundreds yesterday defied police warning and staged peaceful demonstrations over economic hardship across different parts of Ibadan, Oyo State, calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for urgent intervention.
The protesters, who stormed major areas within Ibadan metropolis yesterday morning, urged the President to immediately address the raging issues of insecurity, economic hardship, and hunger faced by Nigerians.
Leadership recalls that the Oyo State Police Command had warned against any protests without prior notice to the police before such action was embarked upon, saying it could be hijacked by unscrupulous elements.
The police warned that it would not allow any form of violation of public order that could lead to the breach of public peace.
The protest was held in different parts of Ibadan, including Mokola, Iwo Road, and Sango.
The protesters, who were mostly youths, said they were fed up with the current state of affairs in Nigeria and were demanding an immediate end to these crises from the government.
They held placards bearing different messages such as 'Tinubu Must Address Insecurity', 'Hunger is Killing Us', 'End food hike and inflation', 'The poor are starving,' and 'Tinubu, don't forget your promises,' among others.
The protesters also expressed concern about the high cost of living, which they said was making it difficult for people to afford basic necessities of life.
In the Mokola area of Ibadan, the state capital, placard-carrying youths in their droves chanted songs to drive home their point. They were also chanting songs to show their grievances.
The protest came at a time when Nigeria is facing severe security challenges, including kidnappings, banditry, and attacks by terrorist groups.
As of the time of filing this report, the protester were heading towards Sango, University of Ibadan, and there was suggestion they were going to end the protest at the state government secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
The biting economic hardship in Nigeria has continued to frustrate so many Nigerians, especially the youth who have become desperate to flee the country in search of greener pastures in other countries.
'Japa', the word in local parlance that describes the desperate attempts by youths to leave the country, is now so pervasive that the embassies and foreign missions of so many countries, especially Europe and North America, are reportedly being flooded by Nigerians in search of visas to leave the country.
Although Nigerians have always been known from years past with this attitude of emigrating, the rate at which people have been leaving the country in the last seven years is unprecedented and the harsh conditions in the country are to blame for this.
As hunger, occasioned by increasing prices of food items and essential materials, spreads across the country, insecurity continues to rear its ugly head and the added plague of poor purchasing power, makes the situation even gloomier.
This scourge of hunger and deprivation has found outlets in the frustration of the youths following the difficulties brought on by the policies of President Bola Tinubu, including the removal of fuel subsidy and floating of the Nigerian currency.
The consequences of these policies have been rapid and sharp with galloping inflation having a devastating impact on the Nigerian populace. In the last seven months of the Tinubu administration, LEADERSHIP gathered that thousands of Nigerians are known to have left the country, especially to Canada, UK, Belgium, Turkey, and to some obscure countries such as Cambodia in Asia.
A source told our correspondent that Canada appears to be the country where many Nigerians desire to travel to more than any other because of the less stringent conditions and the quest by the North American country to bring in skilled immigrants to add value to their economy.
A young Nigerian, who gave his name as Michael, who appeared to have secured his travel documents to Canada, was so elated that he cannot wait to leave the troubles of Nigeria behind him. His poignant remarks were a testament to the near hopeless situation in the country.
He said, "Nigeria has deteriorated so badly in the last seven months and there appears to be no hope in sight. I am a young man and I can't afford to waste my destiny in a country that cannot guarantee my future. The leaders of Nigeria have used their cluelessness to ruin the nation."
Another young Nigerian who goes by the name Chinelo Unigwe just relocated to Scotland in January with her two-year-old son to join her husband, who had earlier fled the country. She was full of bile and harsh words for the leaders who she said forced her family to abandon their beloved country.
She said: "The country is no longer safe for me and my family. No jobs, amid high cost of food. High inflation has eaten up our earnings as the Naira continues to fall, worsening the situation. Look at the streets of Nigeria, they are no longer safe. Kidnapping, terrorism and banditry have become the order of the day. Survival in Nigeria is certainly difficult and there is no redemptive assurance that it will get better. So, we have to leave the country."
Many more fleeing Nigerians have similar tales of disappointment and anger at the failing economy and the insecurity especially the rising cases of kidnapping.
The pervasive crisis in Nigeria has led to the outbreak of protests in parts of the country. Last week, protests rocked Minna, the Niger State capital in north central Nigeria, as well as Kano State in the North West.
Just yesterday, there were protests in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital and some other cities in the South West, and tension is palpable, especially when organized labour in Nigeria is threatening to embark on strike over the dwindling economy and increasing food prices.
President Tinubu removed subsidies on petroleum products during his inauguration on May 29, 2023 and the prices of petroleum products increased by nearly 300 percent, pushing up the prices of other essential items.
Labour Mobilises For Nationwide Protest Next Week
Meanwhile, the National Executive Council (NEC ) of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has reaffirmed the congress' 14-day ultimatum to the federal government to implement the October 2, 2023 agreement and address the mounting cost of living crisis in Nigeria.
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Although the ultimatum will expire on the midnight of Thursday, February 22, 2024, the NLC has maintained that if on expiration the congress is not satisfied with the level of government's compliance with the conditions of the notice, it will be at liberty to take action that will compel government to implement the agreement.
Already, the labour centre has declared a two-day national protest for 27th and 28th February 2024, to register their outrage at the mounting hardship and insecurity.
According to the NLC president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, if NLC's demands remain unmet after the nationwide protests, the congress will issue another seven-day notice which will expire on the 2nd day of March, 2024 to the federal government.
Ajaero insisted if the federal government is adamant to fully implement the agreement, an indefinite nationwide strike will ensue.
The labour leader said Nigerian workers and people are no longer interested in empty talk now but action.
He therefore called on all affiliates, state councils and civil society allies to start mobilising across the nation for effective action as the deadline approaches.
"In light of the urgency of the situation and the continued suffering of the Nigerian people and workers, NLC calls for immediate action from the federal government to rectify these grievances and restore faith in the democratic process and social dialogue," he said.
