Protest organisers vow to continue rallies, ignore Adegboruwa

Protest organisers vow to continue rallies, ignore Adegboruwa

Organisers of the #EndBadGovernance protests against hardship in Nigeria have declared that the mass rallies, now in the third day, will persist until President Bola Tinubu addresses their demands.

They sharply disagreed a human rights lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN) on his plea to end the nationwide protest after the first day.

Adegboruwa earlier represented the protesters in an engagement with the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

Speaking on Channels Television’s “The August Protests” programme on Friday, Damilare Adenola, Director of Mobilisation for the Take It Back Movement, declared that the demonstrations would not cease until the Federal Government met their conditions.

He clarified that Adegboruwa does not represent the protesters, despite the lawyer’s prior efforts to secure protection for the protests from security agencies.

Adenola stressed that Adegboruwa’s plea to halt the protests due to potential infiltration by disruptive elements would not be heeded.

“Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa is not our lawyer and does not speak on our behalf. He might have presented himself as such, but he is not experiencing the same hardships as those of us on the streets,” Adenola stated.

“We are waiting for the government to respond to us and address our demands. Until then, the protests continue.”

Adenola also dismissed claims of external sponsorship, attributing the protests to widespread hunger and economic deprivation.

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He expressed disappointment that the President had not yet addressed the demonstrators’ concerns.

Youths Protest High Cost of Living
During the first two days of the protests, police were observed dispersing demonstrators, predominantly youths, with tear gas. Civil society organizations (CSOs) condemned the police actions.

The protests took a violent turn as hoodlums exploited the situation, leading to looting of public and private properties. In response, several state governments, including Kano, Borno, Yobe, Katsina, Nasarawa, and Jigawa, imposed curfews in affected local government areas to curb the unrest.

Amnesty International reported casualties, while IGP Egbetokun confirmed a policeman’s death, injuries to other officers, and the burning of police stations.

The protests, initiated via social media, began on Thursday, August 1, 2024, and are planned to continue until August 10, covering all states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The protesters are reacting to soaring prices of food and basic commodities, a result of severe inflation and economic crises following the government’s removal of petrol subsidies and unification of forex windows.

The protesters’ demands include the restoration of petrol subsidies, a revised forex regime, and government action on food shortages, unemployment, and excessive spending.

They also call for a reduction in the President’s cabinet size, overall governance costs, and immediate reforms of the electoral body INEC and anti-corruption agency EFCC to intensify the fight against corrupt politicians.

Protest organisers vow to continue rallies, ignore Adegboruwa