Hardship protest: Businesses shut, roads deserted in Enugu

Business outfits, including banks and other commercial institutions were under lock on Thursday as the nationwide protest began across the country.

DAILY POST reports that all the major roads were also deserted as residents stayed indoors for fear of being caught in a web of violence.

The majority of the people of the Southeast opted not to participate in the nationwide action.

However, a pocket of protesters later moved round the Enugu metropolis, decrying the level of hardship in the country.

They were led by Comrade Onyebuchi Igboke, coordinator of a Coalition of Civil Society Organisations.

The protesters moved from Naira Triangle to New Haven and terminated at the Okpara Square.

Igboke, who addressed journalists, said, “we are protesting because the President is 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 traditionalist, 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 South East, from the Northern part, from the South West, they will be telling us to endure. Endure till when?

“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 South East 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 fuel is sold at N800 to N900 per litre. What are the indicators that things will be done right? I am happy that we came out in our numbers to join other Nigerians across the country.

“In Lagos State, one of the things we have noticed from the President and the Governor of the state since the end of the general elections is that they are trying to suppress the voice of the Igbo.

“Igbo stakeholders are not speaking up. Is it when what happened before the war happens again before they will begin to lend their voice to what is going on? It is a very dangerous thing. We want to mandate the president and the governor to begin to condemn and call their people to order.

“Democracy is about voice, government of the people, by the people and for the people. Anything outside that, you are practicing another thing.

“As of this moment, Nigeria is practicing democracy; Tinubu, the president of this country was once a protest lord. He was a protester during the military regime, he was a protester during Jonathan’s regime.

“Seven months into Jonathan’s administration, Tinubu protested. Now we have given Tinubu more that a year. We have not even seen anything.

“Cost of governance is high. People are suffering, everything is high. How much is yam sold? The farms are not secured. Most of the VIPs are going with police. What is even the security strength? Police alone is not up to 400,000. 150,000 of this number is assigned to the political class and VIPs.

“Let them deploy those policemen to the farms to secure our farms. We need food to eat. They should go into the farm because Nigerians are hungry. We are calling on the president to begin to cut down on the cost of governance. Let him reduce his cabinet. He should fight corruption.

“Why did he remove the fuel subsidy? Up till this moment, you did not go after those who are benefiting from it. He should go after these people so we can begin to use our money to solve our problems. We are tired of this as a nation. We are tired.

“We are continuing this protest until the president does the needful.

“On behalf of my fellow protesters, the office of the citizen, federal republic of Nigeria, which is the highest office in the land, I say we are not going to give up, we will continue, I say we are not going to give up.

“We are going to continue. We are telling the people that the security agencies are not going to suppress you. Democracy is about your voice, but be peaceful about it.”