By Suleiman Umaru
Take Back it Movement, linked to one Sowere Omoyele, a Nigerian born activist living in the North American country of the United States, US, and other undisclosed activists appears to have bowed to pressure from several quarters to postpone ‘’End Bad Governance against hunger and hardship’’ protest the planned August 1, 2024, to October 1, 2024.
Olamilare Adenola, Director of Mobilization, of the ‘’Take It Back Movement’’, organisers of the planned August 1, protest, had claimed that they could ‘’no longer guarantee the security of citizens who will come out to protest ‘’, which many many had attribute to the large presence of security agencies , particular, the Force and the soldiers, strategic locations in Lagos, the nation’s commercial nerve centre, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and other major cities and towns in Nigeria to back out at the last minute to postpone the protest fixed for August 1, 2024, to a new date.
The planned August I, planned protest organisers may have read the handwriting on of the wall that going ahead with the planned End Bad Governance ‘’protest against hunger and hardship may turn out to be another’’ End SARS Protest Brutality in Lagos’’ as it had said that’’ due to the prevailing security threat’’ to the protesters, it cannot compromise on the safety of the citizens.
The Group may have sent a message to the aggrieved Nigerian who are ready to take to the streets of Lagos, Abuja, and other parts of Nigeria, to remain calm as they will continue to monitor the situation and still work towards a peaceful and secure protest across the country, on a new date. This may have informed why the ‘’ Take It Back Movement ‘’, sponsors of the planned August I, protest had fixed October1, being Nigeria’s Independent day celebration, precisely to mark the country’s 64th anniversary celebration for the protest, which analyst had described as a mission impossible.
IT was a bold decision by the Group to take the last minute decision to postpone the protest as Kayode Egbetokun, Inspector General of Police, IGP, was said to have directed men and officers of the Force across the country ‘’to deal decisively ‘’ with arsonists and troublemakers who poses as threat to lives and property ‘’ across the 36 states of the Federation on Thursday, August 1, 2024.
The police IGP, had said that the organizers of the planned protests failed to furnish the police with the details of the protest s including the names of intending participants , routes of rallies among others.He had said that intelligence had revealed that ‘’the protest are aimed at unleashing mayhem on the polity and innocent citizens of this country’’ and would not be tolerated.
As a prelude to dividing the ranks of the Protesters the Nigeria Government using their agents may have taking advantage of the high level of poverty in the country to organise a counter’’ No protest in Lgos, no protest in Lagos, Abuja and Kebbi’’, on ednesday, July 31, 2024.
One of the women hired for ‘’no protest exercise’’ at the FCT, had lamented that they were taken to the FCT, for an empowerment programmes and then made’’ to carry the placards, with different prescriptions kicking against the planned protest against hunger and hardship in the country’’.
Some of the protesters were said to have been allegedly paid N5,000.00 for participating in the hired protest while others were said to have been paid N33,000.00.
The Take It Back Movement officials may have shocked the US, United Kingdom, UK, European Union , EU and the Canadian Government who had issued security alerts to their citizens in Nigeria , warning of ‘’potential violence during the planned August 1, massive nationwide protests’’.
The thre countries, which are Nigeria political partners were said to have cautioned their citizens to avoid ares where confrontations between the security agencies and protesters might occur, particular, in Lagos, FCT, PortHarcourt, Kano and Kaduna, among other. The US, Mission, in Abuja, particular, was said to have urged Americans ‘’to avid rallies’’, advising them ‘’to steer clear of crowds and demonstration’’’.
Given past protests, the US Mission, officials’ fears that the planned End Bad Governance against hunger and hardship in Nigeria, as slated on August 1, 2024, may involve roadblocks, traffic congestion and physical confrontations. They may have gotten wrong as the Nigerian government has the plan B, on how to scuttle the protest.
Although, some of the major streets in Lagos, Ibadam, FCT, to Abeokuta and PortHarcourt have been deserted and banks and usinesses shut the protesters were said to have defied the push by the security agencies personnel to stop the demonstrations in the ancient of Kano, where the protest have been violent leading to loss of livs.President Bola Ahmed may have initiated some populist policies to win the heart of the aggrieved Nigerian youths.
The Nigerian President was said to have given the matching order to the Authorities of the Nigerian Educational Loan Fund, NELFUND, on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, to set the machinery in motion for the disbursement of the student loan in its kitty to calm which it claimed that had so far disbursed N850 million to the students.
He noted that this is in addition to the N1.7 Billion that had previously been disbursed to 20,000 students. This sounds funny. this is because if the NELFUND Authorities had disbursed such money to the students as alleged , Take it Back Movement, sponsors of the planned August I, protest that had been postponed to October 1, 2024, would not have demanded from the government for restoration of disbursement of student loan.
The President was said to have also approved a monthly stipend of N50,000.00 for 10,000 youths in the nine Niger Delta states of Delta, Bayelsa, Riivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross river, Ondo, Imo and Abia states.
Godswill Akpabio, a forme governor of Aka Ibom and Senate , President, who had said that while he August 11, protest would be going on , they would be eating from the government, had said that the 10,00 Niger Delta youths would be engaged in programmes designed to improve their skills , nothing that the first phase beficiaries would be paid N50,00 monthly.
The former Akwa Ibom state governor, who alongside, Benamin Kalu, Deputy Speaker , House of Representatives and Samuel Ogbuku, Managing Director, Niger Development Commission, NDC, who were said to have attended the NDDC, Executibve Management Engagement with the Niger Delta Etnic Nationalities and selected stakeholders in PortHarcourt, the Rivers state capital on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, may have used the FG, gesture, as a bait to call on the youths and people of the region ‘’ to shun the planned August 1, protest againd hunger and economic hardship’’.
At the national level, the Nigerian President, who is determined to resolve the food crisis in the country was said to have ordered Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, led Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, not to collect duties and taxes , on imported essential food items , including foreign rice into the country to make them affordable in the open market. The Customs Comptroller General, had said that the NCS, is committed to implementing the FG’s, directive on the suspension of tariffs on imported essential food items.
He had said that the service is committed to implementing the government policy ‘ostensibly ‘’to address the problem of hunger in across the country. The Custom boss was said to have warned the importers, who has been given 150 days, to import the essential food items into the country to ensure that there is no disruptions in the supply chain that will affect foreign investments, distort trades, promote instability, and increase scarcity of essential food items in the country, like rice.
He was said to have disclosed that the service have ‘’streamlined the country’s export processes to ensure Nigerian produced agricultural items reach the international markets efficiently’’, which is very instructive.
