Why Nigerians must boycott planned October 1 protest, Yoruba council reveals

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As Nigeria's Independence Day approaches, the Yoruba Council Worldwide has expressed concerns over the upcoming #Fearless protest
The council's president criticized the protest organizers for failing to engage with the government and proposed that October 1 be designated a "national day of dialogue"
The council also stressed the need for protests to concentrate on specific grievances

FCT, Abuja - As Nigeria approaches its Independence Day on October 1, the Yoruba Council Worldwide has raised concerns over the upcoming #Fearless protest.

The council, led by its President, Hassan Dotun, while speaking with Legit.ng on Saturday, September 28, emphasized that claims of current hardship may misrepresent the ongoing challenges faced by citizens.

President of Yoruba Council Worldwide, Oladotun Hassan, kick against October 1 protest

The council's president asserted:

“Let me clarify that there's no current hardship. Hardship has always been a recurrent decimal."It has always been a plug into our system to make us detrimental to survival."

The council acknowledged the right to protest but cautioned against using the protest as a platform for vague grievances.

He stated:

“It is within our immediate right for us to protest. But the energy used in organizing this protest could be redirected to address specific issues with the government."

Dotun calls for dialogue, not protest

The Yoruba Council criticized the protest organizers for failing to engage with the government meaningfully.

He said:

“What have they learned from the last 10 days of bad governance protest?“None of them proposed engagement with the government. They never even established a dialogue platform.”

Why Nigerians must boycott protest, demand dialogue

He urged protest leaders to reconsider their approach, advocating for October 1 to be designated a "national day of dialogue" rather than a day of protest, saying.

“Dialogue will bring those demands to the table, properly articulated and communicated.“It will not cost us much time wasted than protest will cost us.”

He also highlighted the need for more focused protests on specific issues rather than a broad spectrum of grievances.

Dotun pointed out that persistent issues like inflation have been ongoing for years.

He said:

“We must not wait for oil prices to rise before we protest."

He called for critical discussions surrounding Nigeria’s oil production and revenue allocation, arguing that communities in oil-producing regions should receive a larger share of the benefits.