BREAKING: Amid Growing Sense of Tension, Hardship Protest Begins in Niger State, Video Trends
- Some residents of Niger state have started the three-day national protest ahead of schedule
- On Monday morning, July 29, some disgruntled citizens stormed the streets with placards in protest
- Legit.ng gathered that the protesters marched in Suleja LGA, Niger state, northcentral Nigeria
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering metro and government policies.
Suleja, Niger state - Some people have trooped to the streets of Suleja in Niger state to protest the economic crisis in Nigeria.
As reported by Daily Trust on Monday morning, July 29, the protesters chanted anti-government slogans.
Source: Getty Images
The Cable also noted the development.
The road where the protest started leads to Abuja, Nigeria's administrative and political capital.
The armless demonstrators wielded placards such as ‘Hardship Is Unbearable’; ‘Stop Anti-Masses Policies’; ‘Enough is Enough’; ‘We Are Not Slaves In Our Country’; ‘Fuel Subsidy Must Be Back’, among others.
They marched through the Abuja-Kaduna expressway in Suleja local government area (LGA) of Niger state.
Check out the video below:
Legit.ng reports that there is a growing sense of tension in Nigeria as the country prepares for a new round of protests to demand better government action towards alleviating hunger, and economic hardships in the country.
The protest was originally slated to start on Thursday, August 1, but agitations started several days ago on social media platforms, especially X (formerly Twitter).
Nationwide protests: Stakeholders divided
Meanwhile, Nigeria is faced with divided opinions about the protest.
Dr. Muse Adigun, a former head of the political science department at the Lagos State University of Education, appealed to those calling nationwide protests to seek their grievances with caution.
In an interview with Legit.ng, Muse said protests have been turned into political tools by some people.
He said:
"One has to be very careful the kind of protest he or she embarks on a citizen. Because the main goal of protest is to put government on its toes. But if there are ulterior motives there, such as causing violence, violent change of government by those that lost election through the ballot, then, it is not encouraged."
For Tope Balogun, the governorship candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) in the 2023 election in Lagos state, said he is struggling to understand why the government is "afraid" of protest when the security apparatuses are designed to protect the protesters and non-protesters when they are exercising their constitutionally-backed rights.
Balogun told Legit.ng:
"Anyone among the two divides that try to be an aggressor should be singled out to be dealt with within the confines of the extant laws of the nation."
Furthermore, Balogun stated that "unfortunately" the ruling All Progressives (APC) government has successfully "displayed unprecedented fear making the situation more tense than normal through its reactions in recent days".
The AA chieftain lamented that religious and non-religious stakeholders are "painting a legitimate action of the masses" as a ploy to breach peace.
Read more on planned nationwide protest
- IGP gives intending protesters condition to allow nationwide protest against hardship
- IGP discloses those recruited to hijack planned protests, cause vast damage, details emerge
- End bad governance: ‘Nigeria’s problems beyond protests’, former presidential candidate speaks out
Protest: UK, others issue security alerts
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the United Kingdom (UK), the United States of America (USA), and Canada have all issued security alerts to their citizens in Nigeria, warning of potential violence during the proposed nationwide protests.
In separate travel advisories, the three countries cautioned their citizens to avoid areas of likely confrontations between security agencies and protesters.
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Source: Legit.ng
