Participants in the Independence Day protests, on Tuesday, gathered at Ikeja under-bridge in Lagos to vent their grievances over the prevailing economic hardship in the country.
They were led by Omoyele Sowore, a social activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 general election. The protest was called under the theme: FearlessInOctober.
Some of the banners they displayed read: “Bad Governance has ended the dreams of Nigerian youths, end it now” “Enough is Enough – Revolution Now.”
Protesters chanted “We are hungry” as they marched on the roads.
In Lagos, Sowore showed up at the Ikeja under-bridge at exactly 8:50am.
While earlier reports said that the police tear-gassed participants at a similar protest in Abuja, the Lagos gathering was without any untoward incident at the time of filing this report.
However, there was massive police presence around the vicinity of the protest.
The convener of #RevolutionNow Movement had invited Nigerians across the country to join him in the October 1 protest against hardships, privations, hunger, unemployment, insecurity, and poverty that the President Bola Tinubu-led administration has unleashed on Nigerians.
Sowore, who made the call in a post on Monday evening, vowed that he could not be silent or indifferent, in the face of the sufferings and privations that the Nigerian people are going through, noting that he will be on the streets of Nigeria to join with other Nigerians in protesting the hardships.
According to him, protests or revolts are the only tool that a people have to voice their opposition to the anti-people policies of their government, adding that it is a right that is enshrined in everyone’s gene.
Reminding Nigerians that he has spent five of the last six years either in prison, detention, or confinement by the All Progressives Congresss-led government, under trumped up treason charges that they were forced to withdraw, Sowore vowed that he will not relent until “our point- by-point by demands are met”.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday, Sowore described the protest as a crucial step towards taking Nigeria to the “promised land” adding that it symbolises the people’s rejection of the government’s Independence Day celebration.
The first protests held between August 1 and 10, with security operatives killing no fewer than 30 persons.
When they were leaving in August, the protesters had vowed to return in October.
And despite warnings by security operatives, the protesters returned to the streets on Tuesday vowing not to be cowed.
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Adegoke Mustapha Fayoade, had commitment to ensuring public safety. “The police are ready to support in securing the people, but the protesters must comply with the rules and maintain order,” Fayoade had said in a brief statement.
Despite the tense atmosphere, the protest remained largely peaceful, with organisers urging participants to continue demonstrating in a non-violent manner, while calling for governmental accountability and transparency.
