SPOTLIGHT: How these Nigerians have supported campaign for #EndBadGovernance protest

Today is Day 1 of the #EndBadGovernance protest, which organisers aim to run nationwide for 10 days.

The protest begins Thursday amid concerns of many Nigerians who are still gripped by the memories of the violent outcomes of the 2020 anti-police brutality #EndSARS demonstrations. Many have taken precautionary measures to stay away from work, while others have opted for an early shutdown of their businesses.

On Wednesday, PREMIUM TIMES they were observed that some traders in Irepodun market, an open-air market in Ikotun, Lagos, shut their stalls almost 24 hours before the protest. A supermarket in the area announced that it would close earlier than usual.

The Nigerian government, scrambling to find a way to stop the protest, has repeatedly cited the horrific consequences of the 2020 demonstrations and recent events in Kenya to discourage the organisers from going ahead with the planned mass action.

The government has accused the protest organisers of being politically motivated and claimed that the protest is an attempt to discredit the nearly one-year-old administration of President Bola Tinubu.

On the other hand, many remain optimistic about the protest despite the government’s relentless efforts to discourage it. Supporters of the nationwide protest view it as an opportunity to express their dissatisfaction with President Tinubu’s economic policies, which they believe have caused widespread hardship. They also highlight corruption issues, general misgovernance, and the nation’s weak justice and accountability systems.

Nevertheless, the protest has been gaining momentum, heightening anxiety among both supporters and opponents of the protest.

But who are the organisers, who likely have the ambitious goal of mobilising thousands of Nigerians to the streets nationwide today and in the next nine days? Are their intentions genuinely political?

There has yet to be a formal identification of the central leadership of the demonstration. Perhaps it doesn’t exist. However, civil society organisations, human rights activists, and opposition figures have supported the nationwide protest.

Two prominent Senior Advocates of Nigeria – Femi Falana and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa – have justified the protest and warned the government against instigating violence to discredit it.

Human rights activist and 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has also organised members of the ‘Take It Back’ movement to lead the protests in different parts of the country.

However, many lesser-known organisers are mobilising support for the protest through social media platforms, especially X (formerly Twitter).

Here are snippets of the contributions of some of these known personalities

Omoyele Sowore

Mr Sowore has accused the Nigerian government of sowing fear of violence during the protest to scare away potential supporters from joining the demonstration.

Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official Instagram account of Sowore]

He said the hardship and hunger Nigerians grapple with every day reflect President Tinubu’s performance in office. He added that the government’s move to label the protests as political is an act of disrespect to the sensibility of every Nigerian.

“Pain and hunger have no political affiliation. Everyone is suffering. To suggest that there are political colourations to the underlying causes for the protest is to minimise and disrespect the real economic pain that Nigerians are dealing with,” he told PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr Sowore has been a leading voice against social injustice and economic hardship in Nigeria. Mr Soworefounded the AAC in 2018 and ran for president on the party’s platform during the 2019 and 2023 general elections. He lost in both elections.

In 2019, he was arrested by the State Security Services (SSS) and charged with treasonable felony over his #RevolutionNow protest. He was at the forefront of the #EndSARS protest, which turned violent after the government clampdown.

In 2020, the protest to end police brutality left in its wake mass destruction, looting, prison breaks, and extra-judicial killing after hoodlums hijacked the protest. Mr Sowore blames the Nigerian government for the aftermath of the #EndSARS protest.

“Wherever you see protests turn violent, it is the high-handedness of the government and their security agencies that cause it. We are calling for peaceful protests,” Mr Sowore said.

Peter Obi

Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, is perhaps the most criticised supporter of the planned nationwide protest.

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party at the 2023 elections. [PHOTO CREDIT: Twitter handle of Peter Obi]

On his X handle on Saturday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, accused the former governor of Anambra State of plotting to unseat President Tinubu after failing to win the general elections last year.

“The malcontents planning to stage nationwide protests are supporters of Peter Obi, the failed presidential candidate of the Labour Party. He should be held responsible for whatever crisis emanates from the action.

“They are attempting to call out our people via propaganda because their Messiah, Peter Obi, failed to win the Presidency in the 2023 election. As bad losers, they don’t have the patience to wait for another election in 2027; they would rather destabilise Nigeria by staging a civilian coup against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Mr Onanuga wrote.

In response to the allegations, Mr Obi demanded a retraction of the statement, an apology, and a compensation of N5 billion. But in a counter-response, the presidential aide called Mr Obi’s bluff, saying, “Let me just tell Obi and his lawyer: I am not afraid of any legal action. We shall meet in court.”

Aisha Yesufu

A social critic, Aisha Yesufu, on her X handle, said if elections could be held despite threats of electoral violence, peaceful protests to draw attention to economic hardship in the land must be welcomed.

“If Nigeria did not stop the election because of the violence that happens during elections, it should not stop protest because of the violence it says happens during the protest which by the way is instigated by the government,” she said.

Aisha Yesufu [Photo: TW @AishaYesufu]

Mrs Yesufu, who backed Mr Obi for president in 2023, co-founded the #BringBackOurGirls movement in the wake of the abduction of 276 Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State, North-east Nigeria, in 2014.

The Kano-born activist was at the forefront of the #EndSARS protest in 2020 and has since lent her voice to demands for good governance and electoral fairness.

Atiku Abubakar

Atiku, who is a former Nigeria’s Vice President and the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate for 2019 and 2023, criticised the All Progressives Congress (APC) government for attempting to suppress the citizens’ right to protest despite leading a similar protest against fuel subsidy removal in 2012.

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar. [PHOTO CREDIT: Official Facebook page of Mr Atiku.]

“It is deeply ironic that those who now seek to stifle these rights were themselves leading protests in 2012. A responsible government must ensure a SAFE and SECURE environment for citizens to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed rights to PEACEFUL PROTEST. Any attempt to suppress these rights is not only unconstitutional but a direct affront to our democracy,” he said.

Protests in Nigeria

Nigeria has seen major protests in its colonial and post-independence history. One such protest was the 2012 #OccupyNigeria protest against the removal of fuel subsidies and eventual pump price hikes by then-President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

Interestingly, President Tinubu, a key opposition party member, lent support to the 2012 protest against the Jonathan administration.

Analysts believe the unpopular fuel subsidy policy and rising insecurity paved the way for the APC to win the 2015 presidential election.

Could this be part of the reasons this protest has rattled the APC government?