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Commuters resort to trekking long distances
From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Wednesday witnessed a new twist in the series of protests against the scarcity of new naira notes.
The protesters barricaded major highways at different strategic points in many parts of the city, including Sango, Mokola, and Eleyele, Beere, Idi-Arere, and Molete.
The city had a few days ago witnessed pockets of protests, in which some of them were violent over the scarcity of naira notes. Deaths of some protesters have also been recorded. The volatile areas include Iwo Road Roundabouts, Iyana-Church, Agodi-Gate, Idi-Ape, Mokola Roundabouts, Queen Cinema, Ekotedo, Dugbe, Sango, Ojoo, Eleyele and Agbowo.
The Ojoo-Mokola Road was barricaded at Poly Junction at Sango, Veterinary Bus Stop at Mokola, Uncle Joe Bus Stop and Mokola Roundabouts. In the same vein, the Eleyele-Dugbe Road was barricaded at Eleyele Roundabouts.
There were few vehicles on the road and the majority of few ones hung leaves with their wipers in front of their motorcycles, tricycles, cars, and trucks.
Many people resorted to trekking long distances in order to reach their destinations, such as Dugbe to Eleyele, which is about five kilometres, Sango to Mokola, which is about three kilometres, Total Garden to Bodija, and so on.
Security agencies positioned their operatives at strategic places and did not molest the protesters, who were deemed not to be violent.
It was observed that many shops did not open for business activities when some eateries also operated skeletal services.
Some parents rushed to the schools of their children to take them home. Those who could not reach the children’s schools made calls that the students should be allowed to stay within the school premises till evening because protesters would not attack schools.
One of the protesters at Eleyele said: “We are protesting because we are dying. We don’t have cash. We cannot access cash. If you want to do a transfer, the network is not good. If I want to buy a thing of N350 and I want to do a transfer. The seller will tell me to put N200 on top of it. Who is at a loss?
“We are registering our displeasure against the government that the new naira policy is anti-masses. The government has not seen anything. This is just the tip of the iceberg. When the time comes, all of us, including security agencies will protest together. The security agents are also going through the same excruciating experience on the new naira notes. We are in it together. And we shall fight it together. In sure of that.”
