Despite Police warning, protesters storm Lagos metropolis

By Moses Adeniyi

Defying warnings by the Police and opposition from other groups adverse to the scheduled labour protests against rising economic hardship in the Country, some protesters in Lagos stormed the streets of the metropolis on Monday, decrying the worsening situation in the Country with unbearable rising cost of living.

Protesters under human rights groups, the Joint Action Front and the Coalition for Revolution on Monday stormed the streets of Lagos to protest against the hike in prices of food items and the soaring high cost of living in the country.

Recall the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, on Sunday had issued warning against staging protests in the State.

He had said the “Police are aware of the plan by some people to protest in the State and will ensure that necessary measures are put in place for the safety of the lives and property of Lagosians.”

He had stressed that nothing would hinder the free flow of traffic or a peaceful environment to let residents carry out their lawful duties.

However, the protesters on Monday were spotted bearing  placards of various inscriptions under the bridge of the Ojuelegba  area of the State in protest against the current economic hardship across the country.

The groups vowed to join the organised labour in the nationwide mass action scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

The groups demanded that the Tinubu-led government immediately reverse the fuel subsidy removal, and the floating of Naira and other policies, which they said were advisories of the International Monetary Fund imposed on Nigerians.

Meanwhile, at the protest scene, Police officers with vans and officers of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps were on ground as the protesters were marching.

Recall, amidst mobilisation for labour protest,  Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under the aegis of the Lagos Peoples Assembly, in collaboration with Defend Lagos Coalition, had said the protest should be shelved aside in the interest of national peace and progress.

The coalition, rather, called for continued dialogue with the Federal Government in order to avert further hardship on citizens.

The coalition include: Campaign Against Impunity and Domestic Violence, Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate CPPM, Patriotism Awareness Forum, Centre for Leadership and Democratic Ethics, Coalition of Oodua Self Determination Groups, COSEG, Ideal Society Movement, among others.

Spokesman of the coalition, comrade Nelson Ekujumi, made the remarks during a media briefing, titled: “Constructive engagements is the way out of our economic challenges,” on Sunday, in Lagos.

According to Ekujumi, “LPA, which is a coalition of over 80 civil society and community based organisations, public interests and self determination groups and small business owners whose businesses are yet to fully recover from the EndSARS protest and COVID-19, with a focus on good governance, peace and development of our dear Lagos State in particular and Nigeria in general.”

“We have watched and listened to how some persons and interests have tried to mislead and confuse the Nigerian people by saying that the retooling of the economy by the President Tinubu administration is a foreign economic pill that was prescribed for Nigeria.

“Absolutely untrue, Nigerians themselves being economically savvy prescribed this solution in order to remove the Nigerian economy from the life support machine that it was plugged in.

“The only solution to our economic challenges is constructive engagements between the government and the citizenry and not protest marches or strikes, the Lagos State government has inaugurated its committee on the distribution of palliatives which is made up of eminent Nigerians,” the groups had argued.