You didn’t promise average Nigerians hardship, Activists tell Tinubu

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

A group of activists in Osun State have warned that the ongoing protests against the current hardship ravaging the country may snowball into crisis if not urgently addressed.

The activists,  under the auspices of Dialogue 360, Coalition for Revolution, Joint Action Force, Osun Civil Society Coalition and Federation of Informal Workers including youths in the state on Monday, protested in Osogbo, against the hardship in the country.

The groups, converged at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park before they marched through Station Road, Old Garage, Oke-Fia, Alekuwodo and ended at Ola-Iya junction.

The protesters, who were chanting anti-government songs and carrying placards with several inscriptions like, ‘Let the poor breathe’; ‘Stop stealing palliatives meant for the working poor’; ‘End Insecurity’; ‘We reject devaluation of Naira’; ‘Enough is enough’; ‘No to anti-people policies’ among others, said what President Bola Tinubu promised Nigerians was not to increase their hardship.

Speaking, one of the leaders of the protesters, convener of Dialogue 365, Comrade Waheed Saka faulted the decision of the President of giving the proceeds of oil subsidy removal to the governors who are doing less to nothing in making life easy for Nigerians.

Saka warned the government at all levels to urgently address the agitation of Nigerians against the current hardship in the country, failure of which he said, may snowball into crisis.

According to him, “The essence of this protest is to mobilise the people for a bigger and larger protest that will be done nationwide tomorrow, that will force the arms of government to do the right thing. We have come to tell the President to fulfill his promise, he did not promise to make life difficult for the people or increase hardship on average Nigerians.

“We understand that there are a lot of issues but we said don’t remove subsidy and give the money to governors. Governors over the years have not been able to manage their resources effectively, why are you taking off the relief of an average Nigerian and giving the money to governors to spend?

“That is not sustainable and now the devaluation of naira has led to an increase in the price of fuel because it is having a snowball effect on food and livelihood. President Tinubu should act now because he is already pushing our people to the precipice.

“We are saying act right, we are saying enough is enough because we can’t continue, year in and year out to talk about doing the right thing. We are saying enough of IMF and World Bank policies.”