Tag: protest

No fewer than 10 vehicles belonging to some traders have been razed in Bukuru, Jos South local government of Plateau State. 

The incident occurred at Nerat Plaza in Jos Bukuru on Monday when the rampaging hoodlums  destroyed several cars and razed buildings, following an alleged minor skirmish with security operatives at the Kugiya market .

The affected vehicles were said to be that of traders who own shops at the Bukuru market. 

Read Also: Hoodlums abduct another Catholic priest in Anambra

The Nation learnt the incidence was due to a protest by concerned residents against ongoing street clearance by officials of Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB).

The Nation gathered the crisis broke out  at the  community around 2pm when operatives deployed to the Jos Metropolitan Development Board JMDB went into the locality to executive  order recently signed by Governor Caleb Mutfwang.

It was gathered the irate youths, armed with cutlasses, clubs and others dangerous weapons, who resisted the security operatives resorted into violence by burning cars  and shops.

An eyewitness Mr Garba Tanko told The Nation over 10 cars close to a supermarket in the community were razed by the hoodlums.

He added the hoodlums allegedly highjacked  the protest burning the vehicles. 

Mutfwang had signed an Executive Order to control the illegal erection of buildings and traffic in the State.

Efforts  to reach the spokesman of Plateau Police Command, DSP Alfred Alabo, were unsuccessful.

Some people yesterday defied the heavy presence of security operatives in Abuja, Lagos, and Osun states to stage protests against what they termed hardship and worsening economic situation in the country.

At the popular Julius Berger roundabout in Abuja, the placard-carrying protesters accused the  Federal Government of implementing anti-people policies. They faulted the economic reforms of the government.

Their leader, Deji Adeyanju, who addressed reporters said: “We have gathered here because we believe that the DSS(Department of State Services)  should not intimidate Nigerians.

“The DSS should not be the one telling Nigerians when to protest and when not to protest.  That is why in defiance of the threat issued by the DSS yesterday(Monday) warning all Nigerians to stay off the protest, we have decided that no matter how few we are we will come and make our grievances known.”

In Lagos, the protesters caused heavy traffic snarl at the  Ikeja Underbridge,   displayed placards and banners with inscriptions  such as, ‘President Tinubu, we want  good policies for business people’ and  ‘We are hungry do something’

They also sang solidarity songs to express their grievances.

Policemen and officials from the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps were at the scene to maintain order. The protest was   led by several civil society groups, including the Take It Back Movement, the Education Rights Campaign, the Coalition for Revolution, and the Socialist Workers League.

Read Also; June 12: IGP cautions against violent protests, disruption of critical infrastructure

Funmi Jolade Ajayi, an activist said: “The democracy people are experiencing and enjoying today was fought for by many, some even laid down their lives during the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

Those who are currently benefiting from this democracy are making life unbearable for the people who fought for it.”

 Another activist, Omtaje Olawale said: “We have a theory that you cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand; it will always fall. The electoral process that led to the June 12 presidential election was flawed from the beginning, and many people kept quiet. They gave too much power to the military”.

 “On that day, people saw it as their mandate to give Abiola power, which the military annulled. The people wanted a good and visionary leader, but the military threw it away. The government has to look inward and institute a comprehensive welfare policy for the  people.”

 In  Osogbo, the Osun State capital,  youths and students held a solidarity walk to press for better governance. They carried banners with slogans such as “Subsidised food and electricity”, “Declare a state of emergency on food and agriculture” and “End hunger and insecurity.”

Convener of Dialogue 360, Waheed Saka, criticised  governors for not aligning with the Federal Government’s economic vision.

“With the resources at the governors’ disposal, they can collectively change the country’s fortunes,” he argued.

Chairman of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR) in the state, Emmanuel Olowu recommended a single term for political offices to curb politicians’ self-interest.

Journalists and a group of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have demanded release of Daniel Ojukwu, the FIJ reporter, who has been in police custody since May 1. 

It was learnt that Ojukwu is being detained for a purported violation of the 2015 Cybercrime Act.

RevolutionNow convener Omoyele Sowore; Bukky Shonibare, the chairman of FIJ’s Board of Trustees and Executive Director of Invictus Africa; Deji Adeyanju, others are in attendance at the protest at Force Headquarters, Abuja.

Read Also: Senate okays Suleiman, Okoeowo, Daniel, others for NHRC Board

Some of the organisations protesting are: the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Gatefield, Invictus Africa, Enough is Enough Nigeria, Accountability Lab, Global Rights, Dataphyte, Nigeria Network of NGOs (NNNGO), and the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), among others.

Thursday, May 9 makes it the ninth day since some operatives reportedly  abducted Ojukwu in Lagos where he was initially held for three days before he was transferred to Abuja by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), the highest investigating arm of the police.

Details shortly…

Residents and property owners in the highbrow  Guzape District of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have expressed concern over the indiscriminate blast of rocks in the area by a firm, Gilmor Construction Limited.

The residents and property owners, who suspected that the firm has the backing of the FCT Administration, are appealing to the Federal Government to urgently intervene to stem what they described as “life-threatening blast of rocks in the area.”

Expressing the concern of the residents and property owners, former Kogi Deputy Governor, Simon Achuba, who claimed that Gilmor failed to observe necessary precautionary measures, urged the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, to come to their aid.

Achuba said Nigeria is a member of the International Treaty and Conventions on Explosive and Blast Technique.

He argued that the construction company, alongside its foreign nationals, ought to have been accustomed themselves to the law.

The former Deputy Governor noted that the construction firm failed to heed caution from the police that it should observe regulatory guidelines for blasting.

Read Also: Abiala Field OML 40: Ogbinbiri protests alleged marginalisation, exclusion

“For about three months, we noticed with tremor incessant blasting of rocks very close to our residential accomodation contrary to statutory regulations governing blasting of rocks either for construction or mining exercise.

“At any point the blasting is done, the whole residential houses within the vicinity of the blasting site shakes thereby injuring the integrity of these properties and the life of our wives and children staying within these premises,” he said.

The former Deputy Governor said though they acknowledged that “the purpose of the blasting is for the construction of road for the development of Guzape District,” he said: “It is only the living that can enjoy amenities.

“In view of all these infractions and flagrant disrespect to the rule of law and statutory regulations, we are calling on NESREA, Ministry of Mines and Solid Minerals Development, Federal Ministry of Environment and FCDA to forthwith stop these incessant hazardous blasting which is injurious to our lives and properties. 

“It is only the living that can enjoy amenities. Nigeria is a member of International Treaty and Conventions on explosives and blasting technique.

“During the last world conference on explosives and blasting in 2022 in Netherlands, emphasis was laid on international best practice, which Gilmor with her foreign nationals should be accustomed with,” Achuba said.

Workers in Ekiti state on Tuesday, February 27, joined their counterparts across the country to protest against the high cost of living occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal and floating of the exchange rate.

The workers from across the 39 affiliates of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in the state converged at the popular Fajuyi Park and marched around major streets in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital under the thorough supervision of the policemen.

The protesters who were heavily armed with placards bearing various inscriptions barricaded roads leading to the Okesa Market, Market, and Adebayo Area of Ado metropolis for almost two hours.

Inscriptions on the placards include “Mr President, Address High Cost of Foods”, “Remove Tax on Drugs, “We Say No to Slavery, “End insecurity”, ” Help Fix Our Refineries, and “Enough is Enough”, among others.

Speaking with newsmen, the Ekiti NLC chairman, Comr. Kolapo Olatunde said the protest became necessary to send a signal to governments at all levels that the people could no longer endure the prevailing hardship in the country.

Read Also: Southwest PDP meets Ekiti stakeholders for peace 

Olatunde said that Ekiti workers had cause to join the nationwide protest, noting that the astronomical surge in the cost of goods and services has made life unbearable for Nigerians.

He said: “We are fighting for the rights of the citizens, that’s why we are calling President Tinubu who is also one of us, to do the right thing.

“We are not fighting him, although, things might not be right in the past, he should also talk to reliable stakeholders to advise him. We want our country to be good because we know it’s full of goodies.

“If they do it well, the exchange rate will not bring shame to our naira currency, we can’t be producing and still be suffering.”

The NLC chairman called on President Tinubu to urgently fashion out economic plans to address the current hardship in the country.

Members of the Bayelsa State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) took to the streets of Yenagoa to protest over the economic hardship being experienced across the country.

The protesting workers embarked on the peaceful procession along the Lambert Eradiri Drive through the Melford Okilo Road, terminating at the Government House at Onopa in Yenagoa to press home their demands.

Police and other security agencies were on the ground to ensure a hitch-free protest.

The protesting workers united under the umbrella of the Bayelsa State Council of the NLC sang solidarity songs and carried placards with inscriptions such as ‘Politicians, Let the Poor Breathe’, ‘End Hunger and Poverty; We Reject IMF Policies’, ‘Stop the High Cost of Living in Nigeria’, ‘Federal Government, Make Our Refineries Work Again’, “Fund our Public Schools, among others.

Read Also: Protest: Makinde joins NLC, says hardship will soon be over

In an address, the chairman of the Bayelsa State Council of the NLC, Barnabas Simon, said the ailing economy occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy and a spike in the exchange rate of the Naira to the Dollar had made life unbearable for workers and the ordinary citizens.

Simon noted that the high inflation in basic food, goods, and services had made survival a Herculean task for many families.

Receiving the protesters in front of the Government House, Governor Douye Diri commended them for their peaceful conduct during the protest.

The governor, who stated that the president would not deliberately inflict hardship on Nigerians, said the solution lies in fixing the economy and restoring the value of the Naira

Diri said he would consult with the State Head of the Civil Service and the leadership of labour to work out palliatives for the workers in the state to cushion the effect of the high cost of living on them.

Workers in Ebonyi State on Tuesday joined their counterparts across the country to protest against high cost of living.

The workers were led by the Nigerian Labour Congress(NLC) chairman in Ebonyi, Ọgụgụa Egwu.

The protesters, who marched around major streets and roads in Abakaliki, converged on the Pa Ngele Ọruta stadium from where they moved around.

Speaking during a brief stop at Udensi Roundabout near the old Government House, Egwu noted that the workers are the worst hit.

He said: “Nigerian people are dying, we are suffering and smiling. It is obvious that Nigerian people despite the hardship we face on daily basis they still try to move.

“It is obvious that the pain is to mouch and we are here to use every legal means to tell the world that indeed we are pained, that indeed we are suffering.

“We are here not against anybody, we are here because we are hungry. Starvation has become a burden among Nigerian people , starvation hadas become a burden among the workers. 

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“A worker cannot even afford a square meal, a worker cannot feed himself not to talk of his family, a worker cannot afford to take himself to work and yet we call ourselves Nigerians. 

“We have children but we cannot take them to school, we have children but we cannot even afford to feed them. A sachet of pure water is more than N50, a litre of fuel is more than N700, a litre of cooking gas is more than N1400, a bag of cement is mor than 10,000 as we speak, a bushel of rice is more than N30, 000.

“We shall not continue to be silent, we shall continue to speak out, we shall continue to let the ruling class know that the period of oppression is coming to an end and Nigeria must be good again”. 

Security operatives were on hand to escort the workers during the protest.