Residents of Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Tuesday ignored the warning by the state’s police command, as they engaged in a peaceful protest against what they termed the continued economic hardship plaguing the country.
Marching under the flag of #RevolutionNow, the protesters demanded an urgent government intervention in the current high cost of staple foods and petroleum products in the country.
The state’s Commissioner of Police, Abayomi Oladipo, had earlier on Monday in a statement issued by the command’s spokesperson, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, asked residents not to join any protest in the state.
Mr Oladipo said the command had deployed its men to the town to ensure no protest was used to truncate the celebration of the Independence Day anniversary commemoration.
However, the peaceful procession by the protesters began at the popular Cathedral Church Junction in Akure, with protesters chanting anti-government songs.
They demanded that President Bola Tinubu should address the issue of hunger, increase in petroleum pump price and electricity tariffs in the country.
The protest, which was closely monitored by the combined team of armed police officers and men of the state security services, also drew the attention of commercial drivers and motorcyclists, who lamented the disparity in the prices of fuel at filling stations in the state.
Addressing journalists at the protest ground, one of the protest leaders, Kunle Ajayi, popularly known as Wiseman, accused the government of not being sensitive to the needs of Nigerians in the face of the economic challenges in the country.
Mr Ajayi explained that the various “anti-government policies” of the current government have further plunged the country into economic crisis, noting that Nigerians can no longer bear the hardship.
Mr Ajayi said: “As you can see, Nigerians are angry and at the same time hungry because of the poor economic policies of Tinubu’s government.
“Imagine the price of fuel. The high price of food, the common man can no longer feed well. Do they want to kill us? Why is this government not listening to the people?
“There is hunger and inflation in the country because of poor and unfavourable economic policies. We are demanding an end to this suffering. They should immediately reverse both fuel subsidy removal and electricity tariff hike. This government continues to waste our resources and enriching their own pockets. We want to say enough is enough. They should allow the common man to breathe.”
He listed some of their demands to include an end to hunger and high cost of food, creation of jobs for the youths, reduction in the price of fuel and electricity, introduction of free education.
Mr Ajayi vowed that the people would continue with their action by demonstrating on the streets until the government addressed their grievances.
Also speaking, Seyi Ogundipe, an activist in the state, said the economic hardship in the country had disrupted the plans of many Nigerian youths who are self-reliant and entrepreneurs.
He noted that if the situation persisted, the country would continue to record a high rate of unemployment with the youths resorting to crime.
