The nationwide hunger protest continued on Monday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The protest led by the Chairman of Joint Action Front (JAF) in Oyo State, Prof. Ademola Aremu, and the Acting National Chairperson of Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), Comrade Abiodun Bamigboye, and other activists in the state, resumed at the front gate of the University of Ibadan early in the morning.
Aremu, while addressing journalists, said the national broadcast addressed by President Bola Tinubu on Sunday, has no solution to the problems facing the country.
He added that all the achievements highlighted in the national broadcast failed to individually and collectively translate into any meaningful improvement in the life of the working people across the country.
Aremu maintained further that the national broadcast is an indication that the President will not be willing to accede and attend to any of the demands of the protesters.
According to him, the groups participating in the protest shall commence immediate discussions and engagement with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the media and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), towards building a Pan-Nigerian movement of the working people that will be determined and prepared to challenge the Tinubu-led administration and force it to accede to the demands of the protesters.
He said, “Today, Monday 5th August, 2024, makes it the third day, our coalition organized peaceful protest here in Ibadan, Oyo State to render a support to the call for a nationwide mass action against hardship and hunger tagged “End bad governance protest.
“The protest kicked-off across the country on the 1st of August 2024 despite all forms of initial threat, intimidation including propaganda by the Tinubu-led Federal Government.
“Our decision to organize peaceful protest on the 1st and 2nd of August, 2024 was to dare all odds and express our support for the call for nationwide protest.
“This is a victory for the Nigeria working but suffering people. It has clearly shown that Nigerians are not slaves who would be told to surrender their fundamental and democratic rights to resist anti-poor policies. It has also demonstrated that no elected office holder is greater than the citizens of the country.
“Again, the peaceful character of the protest especially here in Oyo State, has obviously defamed a false narrative that the working people cannot successfully organize a peaceful protest without it degenerating into violence.
“So far the protest against hardship here in Oyo State as well as in a number of states across the country have been acknowledged to be quite peaceful except in few states like Kano, Bauchi, Yola and Katsina where the protest which equally started in a peaceful manner turned into violence with over 10 persons killed by the security agencies in the process.
“This to us is another gain of the protest except that none of the demands of the protest was addressed in the President’s national broadcast. As far as we are concerned, the national broadcast is just a mere justification for all of the neo-liberal policies responsible for the huge scale of pain and pangs Nigeria working people are going through at the present time.
“Asides this, we note that none of the planned projects enumerated in the national broadcast has the potential to bring any significant relief and respite to the masses of the Nigeria working people.
“All achievements highlighted in the national broadcast failed to individually and collectively translate into any meaningful improvement in the life of the working people across the country. This is an indication that President Tinubu-led government will not be willing to accede and attend to any of the demands of our coalition except if it is challenged with struggle which is well drawn, determined and well-coordinated.
“Beyond the current #EndBadGovernance protest, we require a bigger, broader and disciplined movement of the working people and youths for a better Nigeria.”
Kemi Olaitan
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