The popular Ikorodu road, in Lagos State was deserted on Thursday, as pro democracy groups and youths converged in front of the Gani Fawehinmi park in Ojota, Lagos to protest against hunger in the country, termed #Endtobadgovernance.
The youths numbered over one thousand, were seen chanting solidarity songs and condemning the hunger in the country, more so a team of policemen and soldiers parked their vehicles and armoured tank very close to the scene of the protest while the soldiers and police officers were monitoring the activities of the protesters from a distance.
Police chopper also hovered round the scene of the protest.
Most commercial vehicles were off the road, with just few of them plying the road, and most of them don’t have enough passengers to fill their vehicles.
The protesters, however, refused to go inside the Gani Fawehinmi park garden, nursing the fear that, since the police officers on ground declined to go inside the park, they might have planted something inside the park to implicate them.
Some sat on the road while others turned the road to their bed.
Some of the protesters who spoke said Nigerians have been turned to enslaved people in their father land because of the wrong policies of the government in power.
They noted that, the legislators who are representative of the people, have detached themselves from the people they represent.
According to Gabriel Omini, “Nigerians are not happy with the people that are supposed to make law for us, an Indian National now has more influence than a Nigerian. Where are we going to? Prices of foodstuffs have increased, and many Nigerians can’t feed themselves, are we making progress? Democracy is said to be the government of the people for the people. ‘Where are we going to,” he said.
Some of the transport workers who participated in the protest said their business had been made difficult because prices of vehicle parts have increased astronomically coupled with an increased the price of petrol.
One Adeola Samuel said ”The protest is peaceful because Nigerians are out to voice their grievances, and those who participated in the protest are not rented crowd, but concerned Nigerians who are not happy about how things are in the country.”
One of the protesters, Ogwu Benjamin Chijioke, said; “Many youths engaged in crime because they were not gainfully engaged by the government.” Nigeria has many talented youths, but they are not gainfully engaged by government, that is why some of them are into yahoo business and prostitution.”
The protesters said the military personnel and policemen posted to monitor the protest are also concerned Nigerians because, they are also affected by the economic hardship.
The protesters were shouting, “ebi npa wa o” ( we are hungry).
Owolabi Adeshina, one of the protesters, said “The government has failed the youths, and they keep shouting the youths are leaders of tomorrow, but the so-called leaders of tomorrow have been impoverished, he queried how they then realise their dream.”
The protesters keep marching back and forth on the Ikorodu road, singing solidarity songs to those participating in the protest.
Some of the placards carried by the protesters read, “Reverse fee hikes in public tertiary institutions”, “one day the poor will have nothing else to eat but, the rich oppressors”, and “President Tinubu let the poor breathe.”