#EndBadGovernanceInNigeria: Protests Resume in Lagos

Organizers of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest in Lagos have announced that they will continue their demonstration at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota, on Monday, August 5, 2024. This decision comes after President Bola Tinubu’s nationwide broadcast on Sunday, in which he expressed his willingness to listen to and address the concerns of protesters, but also ordered the suspension of further protests.

The organizers, Hassan Taiwo, Ayoyinka Oni, and Adegboyega Adeniji, consider the president’s decision to address the nation an “important victory for our movement.” However, they are concerned that the president’s offer of dialogue is conditional on the suspension of protests, which they see as an attempt to “chase us out of the streets instead of addressing our demands.”

The organizers have called on all Nigerian youth and people to join them at the Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota, Lagos, on Monday, August 5, 2024, at 7 am, for the fifth day of the protest. They have also called on the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress, the media, and the Nigerian Bar Association to support their cause and not watch with arms folded as they are being chased out of the streets.

The #EndBadGovernance protest emerged from the suffering and frustration of ordinary Nigerian youth and people, and demands an end to bad governance in Nigeria. The protest has been considered peaceful by the state government, but there have been reports of thugs attacking protesters and journalists.

In a related development, the Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested a leader of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest in Abuja, and there are fears that military intervention will escalate the protests. The organizers have condemned the scenario where thugs attacked protesters who had gathered for Sunday morning worship, injuring many.