Protest: Civil societies urges FG to provide lasting solution to economic hardship
By Richard Akintade, Osogbo
Osun Civil Societies Coalition, (OCSC) on Thursday called on the federal government to provide lasting solution to the current economic hardship and high cost of living.
The Coalition made the call while staging a peaceful protest in Osogbo, Osun State capital.
According to the coalition, Nigeria as a country is becoming difficult to live day by day due to increment of essential goods and services since the inception of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s led administration.
The protesters who converged at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park in the morning demonstrated peacefully through Old Garage, MDS and later terminated the possession at the popular Olaiya under the bridge, Osogbo.
Speaking, the Chairman of the group, Comrade Waheed Lawal said they staged the peaceful protest to express their displeasure over the economic hardship in the country which he said, has caused more hunger in the land.
Lawal hinted that the protest was majorly organised to sensitize the residents about the mother of protest billed to hold on Monday nationwide.
He lamented that the country now difficult for the citizenry to live again.
He said “We are having national protest starting from Monday, they want us to call it off but we said no, we must allow people to know what is going on in Nigeria today as it is not palatable to us.
“We are using today’s protest as an awareness for what is coming up on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
However, the Director of Ola Oni for Socio Research, Comrade Wale Adebisi berated the federal government over the failure to have sustainable plan following the subsidy removal and float naira.
Adebisi condemned the government under the watch of President Bola Tinubu for exposing Nigerians to poverty, hunger, and hopelessness.
He expressed concern over spate of insecurity in Nigeria, saying the kidnapping in the country is unabated with payment of ransom.
He said, “The purpose of this protest is to let the residents know that Nigeria is passing through a hard time, a hard period as a result of lack of economic planning from the government.
“And about the security situation of Nigeria, kidnapping is going on unabated with payment of ransom despite paying the ransom does guarantee you to leave kidnapers den alive, you can still still be killed despite payment of of ransom by your family.
“You float naira and at the same time you remove subsidy without any planning for palliative there is no social intervention, no social empowerment and you just allow people to be exposed to poverty, hunger, and hopelessness.
“Defenselessness, the salary is not increasing while the price of goods and services are going up how are we going to meet up?
“That is why the hardship is too much and have to let the whole world know that Nigerians are not comfortable, if you don’t protest the whole world we see the signal and the Nigerian government that people are not suffering but for us today the whole world we know Nigerians are suffering Nigerians want to breathe,” he added.
