It is no longer news that some Nigerians are planning to march against economic hardship under the ‘EndBadGovernance’ protest from August 1 to 10.
The demonstration, which is gaining traction on social media, has been scheduled to be held across all states of the Federation as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
However, its organisers have remained largely anonymous as no group has come forward to take responsibility.
The August 1 protest comes on the heels of similar demonstrations in Kenya, from which experts say Nigerians may have drawn inspiration.
Kenyan youths staged massive protests for weeks, forcing President William Ruto’s government to backtrack on tax hikes.
In October 2020, Nigeria experienced massive protests nationwide when thousands of young people demonstrated against police brutality.
As the hunger protest movement gains momentum, with thousands of youths set to take action, national and state authorities have warned the organisers to tread softly.
Meanwhile, human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong has revealed that participants in the planned nationwide protest would receive free legal representation if arrested and/or charged to court in Lagos State.
Citing the loss of life and property that characterised the #EndSARS protest in the country, many stakeholders, CSOs, bodies and others have pleaded with the organisers to shelve their plan, adding that the issues raised by them were already being addressed.
In the same vein, leaders from the southern and northern parts of the country have also joined the government to oppose the protest.
State governors have also cautioned against the protest, saying it is potentially dangerous.
As part of moves to placate aggrieved citizens, the President sent a bill to raise the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000 to the National Assembly this week. Both chambers of the legislature speedily passed the bill on Tuesday, awaiting the President’s assent.
