Organisers of the #NationwideProtest in Lagos have said they will meet at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota, on Monday, to continue their demonstration.
This was stated in a Statement on Sunday signed by Hassan Taiwo, Ayoyinka Oni and Adegboyega Adeniji, on behalf of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria Organising Committee, Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota, Lagos State.
According to the organisers , they had listened carefully to President Bola Tinubu’s broadcast on Sunday and “consider it rather unfortunate” that it took President Tinubu three days of protest to address the country.
In the Nationwide Speech rendered on Sunday morning by President Tinubu, he affirmed that his administration was ready to listen to and address the protesters' concerns, affirming that he had heard their calls “loud and clear.”
“I hereby enjoin protesters and the organisers to suspend any further protest and create room for dialogue, which I have always acceded to at the slightest opportunity,” the president said.
The organisers noted that they consider the decision to address the nation an “important victory for our movement.”
“Without our courage and resolve to dare the odds, even this acknowledgment would not have happened. So far, we have demonstrated that a President is not greater than the rest of the country,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the organisers admitted that they were not pleased with the president's speech when he ordered that the protest be suspended.
“In our view, the president cannot be approbating and reprobating at the same time. The President cannot offer an olive branch while at the same time holding a dagger to our throat,” the trio said.
Also, the statement kicked against the scenario “where thugs attacked protesters who had gathered for Sunday morning worship thereby injuring many.”
It added, “So we therefore call on all Nigerian youth and mass of the people to join us by 7 am at Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota, Lagos tomorrow (Monday) August 5, 2024, which is Day 5 of the protest.”
The Lagos protest had been considered peaceful by the state government, but a video on Sunday captured by Channels TV showed protesters being chased by hoodlums wielding sticks at Ojota a few hours after the President’s address.
A video circulated widely over the weekend, capturing the shocking moment a protester was struck on the head by a hoodlum while engaged in a live television interview with a journalist at the protest venue.
Meanwhile, the protest organizers issued a call to action, urging the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, media organizations, and the Nigerian Bar Association to take a stand against what they termed as attempts to suppress the protests, rather than remaining passive observers. “to chase us out of the streets instead of addressing our demands.”
“As far as we are concerned, the #EndBadGovernance protest emerged from the suffering and frustration of ordinary Nigerian youth and people,” they added.
