Residents demand return of transport, food subsidies among others as response to protest

Over the years, Lagos has been the hotbed of revolt and dissension in Nigeria, even after the Federal capital moved to Abuja. It was not so in the last protest dubbed hunger protest, even though key players and a number of conveners are Lagos based.

It is not clear whether interventions by the state government pre and during the protests and some earlier palliatives by government hampered the intensity. During the last protest, the usually slogan of Eko for show was missing.

Nonetheless, one of the steps the state government took during the protest was to say it was ready to dialogue anew with not just the protesters, but residents.

As a result, the government opened a channel of communication. In the statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, the state government expressed appreciation to the protesters in Lagos for their peaceful conduct and their announcement of an end to their action following the broadcast by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) last Sunday.

“Your stoppage of  the protest today is a crystal clear affirmation of the fact that you know your collective voice has been heard by the government. What you have done is not only noble but the civilised thing to do. 
 
“In demonstration of the Lagos State government’s commitment to continuous engagement with the youth, Mr Governor has directed that despite the stoppage of the protest, the dialogue and engagements which the state government initiated prior to the action must continue.
 
“Consequently, Mr. Governor has directed Ministry of Youth and Social Development; Ministry of Information and Strategy and Office of Civic Engagement to immediately open wider channels of engagement with various stakeholders, including the protest leaders. 
 
“The Executive Council members in charge of the Ministries can be reached on the following dedicated Citizens Access Lines: Office of Civic Engagement +234 802 522 4347; Ministry of Information & Strategy +234811965788 and the Ministry of Youth & Social Development +2347077178295.

“Now it is fit and proper to, once again, warn our citizens to be very vigilant. Those who seek to divide us are yet to give up. They may continue to post fake news via audio and video channels. Lagosians must never give room to war mongering, scare mongering and rumour mongering. That is not our way; that is not who we are. That is not our style. 

“Mr Sanwo-Olu, once again, praises Lagosians for rejecting anarchy and embracing peace. He praises the  professional conduct of all security agencies, the Police Command, Department of State Services, the military, Civil Defence, and Neighborhood Watch.

“The Governor notes with great pride the roles of our traditional rulers, Civil Society Organisations, Community Leaders, Religious Leaders, Students Leaders and others, who ensured Lagos remained peaceful.”

But as the protest winds down, a number of residents spoke to The Guardian on what they want from the government to cushion the effects of the harsh economy.
A resident, Adekunle Okunade, implored the state government to reintroduce the transportation subsidy on state owned buses and even increase it beyond 25 per cent it last provided.

“This will reduce the burden on transportation cost for Lagosians. Also, the state government should do more in the aspect of transporting foods stuff to the state since it is not an agrarian state. The government can partner private sector in this regard. It will crash the prices of food stuff in the markets within the state.”

He also said the state government should re-strategise its ways of distributing food palliative to residents. “NGOs, religious bodies, civil rights groups, traditional rulers, Community Development Committees (CDCs) and Community Development Associations (CDAs) should be engaged in this regard than the local councils and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).”

According to him, government should also reduce taxes to ensure financial burdens reduced on the SMEs, and MSMEs.

“The state government should increase the grants to the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) so as to stimulate the local economy of the state,” Okunade stated. On her part, Esther Kalu, noted that an hungry man is an angry man reason the #endgovernanceprotest is certainly not unsurprising.

“The current state of the economy is truly biting hard on everyone irrespective of class and status. Nigerians stormed the streets for 10 days to make their demands and one thing is certain, hunger is the sole reason that propelled this demonstration.

“For Lagos State government, policies and programmes that will alienate the hunger and hardship for Lagosians is a welcome call. Personally, I think the taxation policies should be revisited by the Lagos State government, not to scrap it but to find better ways to reduce the harsh impact on businesses and individuals’ standard of living. Taxing citizens who barely earn less than they used to can push them to the wall.

“Employment and empowerment programmes should be made available to curb the unemployment rate particularly among the youths and reduce the crime rate. More jobs equal more citizens that can survive to feed themselves. Lastly, it is not enough to know these policies, the careful implementation is all that matters in the end,” Kalu said.

For Tunde Balogun, the state government can partner with other states in Nigeria in the area of agriculture, especially in producing foods like rice, beans, maize, and yam which are then sold to residents at a subsidised rate

“They can also re-introduce discount on their train services and ferry services and massive skill acquisition programmes along with soft loan which should be targeted at specific areas of importance particularly in food production and supply; fish farming, poultry, snail rearing to mention a few.” Balogun also believed that the introduction of more CNG buses will help cut the cost of fuel consumption.

“However, ultimately there is need for more Independent Power Plant (IPP) to generate close to 24 hour power supply. It will go a long way in driving down cost of production for businesses, particularly medium and small scale enterprise since they are the most affected by the rising cost of energy

“With constant and affordable power supply, a lot of small business can thrive, which will in turn translate to more job or employment opportunity for the residents.” Also speaking, Bukola Bassey suggested that the state government should resume the half price markets for essential commodities.

“The state government should also pressure the Federal Government to ensure the borders are open so the tax-free rice and other food items can circulate.”
Bassey further said that tax rebates for micro businesses is key. “In fact, it can be as simple as not collecting market tolls for a month, and as far as offering single digit interest rates to those really struggling operating business in kiosks and corner shops,” Bassey stated.