As Nigeria braces for a nationwide protest addressing hardship, poverty, and the rising cost of living, the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives is urging the Federal Government to engage in talks with the protesters. The planned protest, set for August, has gained traction on social media under the hashtag #EndBadGovernance.
Why It Matters
The word in Nigeria right now is “protest.” Why? Because Nigerians have had enough of the hardship. Inspired by similar movements in Kenya and Uganda, Nigerians are planning to take to the streets to protest against the unbearable lifestyle and rising food prices. Can you blame them? Just the other day, a lawmaker bought a luxury car for his daughter who just finished secondary school, while the average civil servant is struggling to scrape together school fees for their kids. It’s a typical case of “monkey dey work, baboon dey chop.”
The protest, tagged #EndBadGovernance, is scheduled to take place across all states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in August. The organizers have chosen to remain anonymous, adding an air of mystery and determination to the movement.
Concerned about the potential economic impact, the lawmakers are calling on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to address the protesters’ concerns. This was part of the Caucus’ resolution at their end-of-session dinner in Abuja.
What They Are saying
After the dinner, Hon Kingsley Chinda, Chairman of the Caucus, briefed journalists, urging against the planned protest due to the background of insecurity in parts of the country. “We also appealed to the government to dialogue with the planned protesters and also look at some of the messages they are raising, the critical areas that need government intervention. Government should intervene and ensure that issues are resolved amicably,” he said.
Chinda expressed concerns that peaceful protests could be overtaken by hoodlums, leading to chaos, especially given the current security situation. “We are not going to encourage any protesters because in the past we have observed in most cases that even peaceful protests have been overtaken by hoodlums and with the insecurity situation in some parts of the country, you may not have control of the gathering of people. So some unscrupulous people may use the opportunity to create chaos. We are discouraging any protest but we appeal to the government to dialogue and also look at critical areas that are necessary and address them amicably.”
Chinda also advised the government to adopt a carrot-and-stick method in addressing the problem of insecurity in the country. “We acknowledge and observe the insecurity situation in the country and we call on the government to use carrot and stick by ensuring that let the result be seen. Let all the security chiefs do what is right to ensure that Nigerians are protected,” he said.
The Caucus also called on the government to create means to ensure citizens are self-reliant to tackle the economic downturn in the country.
Bottom Line
Nigerians are taking to the streets and the lawmakers are begging for calm. But when Nigerians were pleading for their lawmakers to take their duties seriously, they were busy debating which national anthem suits most. Dear Nigerians, will you join the protest?
