By Michael Adesanya /Abeokuta
Hundreds of youth who are exercising their fundamental human rights to protest held a brief rally at the Moshood Abiola stadium, Abeokuta, the designated rally centre.
Armed with various placards,they expressed their anger and frustration over socioeconomic hardship in the country
But apart from this handful gathering, the situation was calm and roads seem deserted, except some few vehicles plying the roads. Commercial and business activities were also brought to a halt while security operatives were deployed to strategic locations in Abeokuta to forestall any break down of law and order
Banks,other financial institutions remain under lock and key.
Reports from Sagamu, Ijebuode and Ota revealed that the situation is calm
The state commissioner of police, Abiodun Alamutu while on on the spot assessment of the situation warned officers against unprofessional conducts.
He also asked youth to comport themselves in a peaceful manner just as he admonished residents to continue to be law abiding and go about their businesses without fear of any threat.
In Enugu, officers and men of the Enugu police command provided security cover for protesters taking part in the August 1 protest.
The protest got underway in Enugu around 11 am on Thursday, August 1, from Naira Triangle on the Expressway, and terminated at Okpara Square with the policemen numbering about 20, calming following from a distance.
The placard-carrying protesters, who marched under the auspices of Citizens Nigeria, sang various songs to indicate their grievances.
Some of their placards read: “End hunger, reduce fuel price, Stop food price hike”, “nobody is safe, reduce high-cost governance”, and “Reduce fuel price to end high cost of food”, among others.
Addressing reporters during the protest, the leader of the group, Igboke Onyebuchi, lamented that the federal government was becoming highly insensitive to the hardship across the country.
“We all can agree that in this country everyone is suffering. Whether you are Christian, Muslim or even unbelievers, we are all suffering. We are united in suffering.
“Whenever it comes to a solution, we are divided. The idea is that politicians have mastered the art of divide and rule. Now you will be hearing some voices from the Southeast, from the Northern part, from the Southwest, they will be telling us to endure. Endure till when?
“What are the chances that the government is doing as if they have direction? By now we are supposed to have a clear direction as to where the government is going.
“Should we talk about the refineries that are not working? Should we talk about hunger? Should we talk about insecurity up North or down here in the Southeast and across the country? Should we talk about the unemployment rate?
“Should we talk about dollar increases day by day? What is the government doing exactly to address this to meet the needs of the people?
“As of this morning, we know that the fuel is sold at N850 to N900. What are the indicators that things will be done right? I am happy that we came out in our numbers to solidarise with other Nigerians across the country”, he said.
He therefore called on President Bola Tinubu to work towards reducing the cost of fuel, saying that alone would go a long way to reducing the high cost of living.
