On the National Day of Action against insecurity in Nigeria, Monday 31st May,2021, protest were held at different locations across the country,
In Lagos
Senior Advocate Of Nigeria Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), and his son, Folarin, popularly known as Falz, along with some Nigerians took to the streets to protest against the insecurity and poverty wrecking the country. The protesters, under the cover of the Peoples Alternative Political Movement, marched from Ikeja Bus Stop to the Governor’s Office through the Secretariat to the Lagos State House of Assembly chanting protest songs.
The demonstration, which was tagged, ‘Enough is Enough’, lasted for several hours as youths carried placards which read, ‘No to Exploitation and Multiple Taxation’, ‘Provide Jobs or Unemployment Benefits for Youths’, ‘Provide Security in Schools’, ‘End Kidnapping and Banditry’ and ‘Stop Killings, Secure Nigeria’.
The protesters, which included trade unions, civil society, students, farmers, and peasants
In Oyo and Osun
Some human rights activists and civil society organisations on Monday staged protests against insecurity, bad governance, unemployment and high rate of poverty in Ibadan and Osogbo, the capital cities of Oyo and Osun states respectively.
The major streets of Osogbo, Osun State were occupied by civil society organisations protesting against insecurity and bad governance in Nigeria.
The protest is aimed at sensitising residents of the state to always stand against injustice and maladministration rather than dying in silence, according to the convener, Comrade Waheed Lawal.
Waheed noted that despite the human and natural resources the country is endowed with, poor leadership has put the country in the wrong direction leading to untold hardship for the masses.
Leading the protest in Ibadan, human rights activist, Comrade Femi Aborisade said the current occurrences in the country have shown that governance has totally collapsed in the country.
Aborisade addressed journalists during the peaceful protest during which the protesters marched to some major streets in Ibadan. According to him, those who are in power have broken the social contract between the people and the political office holders. Aborisade noted that a section of the constitution provided that the main duty of government is to provide security and welfare for the people.
“Governance has totally collapsed in Nigeria. There is a social contract between those who were elected and the people. That contract is that the government has a duty to provide welfare and security for the people.
“The government has failed totally in providing welfare and security for the citizens. Only yesterday, in Niger State, not less than 200 students were kidnapped.
“This is apart from other students that have been kidnapped. The Chibok girl, Leah Sharibu, is still in captivity. On a regular basis, Nigerians are being slaughtered like animals.
“And the government is unable to do anything, Nigerian government appears helpless, so Nigerians are tired of this state of insecurity.
“The constitution provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the main purpose of the government. Government has failed in observing section 14 (2) b of the constitution.
“Under the same constitution, we are given the right that once the government fails to provide security and welfare for the people, we have the right to gather peacefully as we are doing to protest against the collapse of the system in Nigeria,” he said.
In Ekiti
in Benin
A peaceful protest led by former Edo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Osagie Obayuwana, in Benin
Speaking at the Edo State Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), “Our coming out today is to say that the Nigerian people can no longer keep quiet, at no time in the history of our country has the insecurity situation ever been as terrible as it is today, you can’t travel from town to town, even within your village, you can’t go from your house to your farm; children in schools have been objects of kidnap.
“Seventeen governors have called on the president to speak to the nation; even this yesterday over 200 students have been kidnapped in an Islamic school in Niger state; enough is enough.
“From our own assessment of the situation, we have seen that there is a direct relationship between insecurity and poverty. Where there is no justice, there cannot be peace and we are saying that the security of life is a fundamental right that all of us are entitled to and it is also a duty that the government owes to all of us.
“They should abolish all anti-poor policies; We demand for state police and even city police, we condemn the killing of policemen and destruction of government facilities”, Obayuwana said just as he condemned the sack of workers by the Kaduna state government and the planned increase in the price of petroleum products.
In Ilorin
In Abuja
The protest which was meant to take off at the Unity Fountain Abuja was heavily cracked down by armed men in police uniform. protesters were teargassed and chased away when trying to exercise their civil rights. one of the leading comrades, Comrade Sowore was hit by a teargas canister in the stomach, shot straight at him by a female officer. Socialist Labour condemn this actions carried out by the Nigeria Police Force.