On October 1st this year, the 64th anniversary of the nation’s independence, some aggrieved Nigerian youths protested against the excruciating economic hardship in the country and urged the Tinubu administration to address their demands. Unfortunately, the #FearlessInOctober protest occurred about three weeks after the August 1 to 10 #EndBadGovernance protest, which witnessed destruction of properties in some parts of the country.
Prior to the protest, the organizers issued a 17-point ultimatum to the Federal Government. They demanded, among others, the scrapping of the 1999 Constitution and replacing it with a people-oriented Constitution. They also called for the restructuring of the country in line with its diversity. Others included the immediate and unconditional release of detained protesters, the unfreezing of their assets, and compensation for the distress and hardships endured during peaceful demonstrations. They also called for the removal and prosecution of government officials accused of suppressing protests and violating human rights.
They urged the government to pay Nigerian workers a minimum wage of not less than N250,000 monthly; invest heavily in education and provide Nigerian students with grants and not loans. They equally enjoined the government to implement free and compulsory education for children across Nigeria; the unconditional release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, as well as demilitarization of the South-East region. They demanded for the release and compensation of detained #EndSARS protesters and other political detainees.
According to the Director of Mobilisation ‘Take It Back Movement,’ Damilare Adenola, the hardship in the country, occasioned by the policies of the Federal Government, prompted the protest. Despite government’s efforts to ward off the October 1st protest, the protesters had their way and expressed their grievances. Although the police fired some canisters of tear gas to disperse the protesters, the protesters persisted. However, some protesters were allegedly arrested by the police during the protest. For instance, a coalition of Nigerian movements, under the aegis of the Nigeria Patriotic Front Movement (NPFM), Northern chapter, claimed that five of its leaders were arrested by the police in Kano State and taken to Abuja on the orders of the National Security Adviser (NSA).
In Lagos State, some protesters were reportedly arrested a day after at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota. Although the police claimed that those arrested were not protesters but individuals masquerading as such with intent to cause mayhem in the state, they were later released on bail. In the August nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests, no fewer than 30 people were killed across seven states, according to reports by Beacon Security Intelligence (BSI). Majority of the casualties were killed by gunshots, “possibly from law enforcement and unidentified armed actors”, BSI stated. The report contradicted the claim by the Nigeria Police Force that only seven fatalities were recorded during the protest.
We condemn the harsh measures deployed by the government to quell the protests. After all, the right to protest is guaranteed by the constitution. The federal government should not abridge such right. Moreover, the firing of teargas at protesters is undemocratic. Moving forward, we urge the police to be more civil in crowd control and the management of civil protesters. The government exists to ensure the welfare and the security of the people. The Nigerian Police Force should not allow itself to be used against the same people it should protect. Lawful protesters must be protected by the law enforcement agency at all times.
It is worth stating that both the August and October protesters presented some demands to the government to address. We urge the government to review those demands and begin now to implement some of them. Those demands cannot be wished away or be swept under the carpet in the usual Nigerian style. Those in government should know that they derived their powers from the people. They were elected into office to serve the people and not to punish them with some anti-people policies. Some of their demands are fair and realizable.
The demands of the protesters are not different from what other Nigerians are asking from the government. Let the government treat the people fairly in line with democratic ethos. It is sad that a day set aside to celebrate our freedom from colonial rule should be used for protests. It shows that all is not well with our politics and even the polity. President Bola Tinubu should quickly address the demands of the protesters.