A group, Joint Action Front (JAF), on Wednesday, staged a protest in Osogbo, Osun State, over what they termed hardship being faced by Nigerians since the inception of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The protesters said the suffering witnessed by the masses in Nigeria was worsened following the recent increment in petrol pump price, and electricity tariff among other skyrocketing prices of items in the country.
JAF, populated by Human Rights Activists, however, demanded the immediate resignation of President Buhari, stressing that the President had failed Nigerians.
According to them, President Buhari has demonstrated what they alleged to be an unbearable level of wickedness and insensitivity towards the plight of the average citizens since he came into power five years ago.
The group also called for the reversal of the increment in petrol price and electricity tariff with immediate effect.
Speaking, the convener of JAF, Comrade Alfred Adegoke, called on Nigerians to resist the increments, stressing that “if the President cannot reverse the price of fuel from N160 to the N86.50, where it was from 2012 to May 10, 2016, then he (Buhari) should voluntarily resign his position as the president.”
Adegoke said Nigerians, especially Southwesterners were deceived to vote for Buhari by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, using the name of Late Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Bola Ige to lure them into believing their cause.
He said, “This struggle has just started. We must stop it. The president has said that petroleum is going to N300; are you prepared to pay that? If we accept that today, education will be more commercialised; electricity, you can’t buy; house, you can’t buy. Food, you can’t buy. Government cannot provide water, houses or jobs. That is the mess we have been seeing. Irresponsible government all the time. We say no! This must end!
“We say no to all oppressive and exploitative government. This struggle has just started. Power for the people. Power for the workers. Power for the students.”
Also Speaking, Comrade Waheed Lawal, Chairman Coalition of Civil Society in the state, called on labour unions such as NLC, TUC among others to declare a general strike and mass protest.
Lawal, who educated the people of the state on the need to join the struggle, said they would continue to express their displeasure over the dual approval of new electricity tariff and increment in pump price of petrol through demonstration.
“We can’t do this in isolation. TUC, NLC, they have not said anything. And we know the meaning of that silence. Silence has a meaning. If they don’t want their people to stamp them to death on the street, they have to come out now and issue a statement,” he said.
Also Speaking, the Director of Program, Centre for Sustained Dialogue, Comrade Waheed Saka, said everything about the new tariff regime speaks about how insensitive and wicked the leaders of this country have become even in a democracy.
Saka asked, “How on earth will anybody happily approve a new tariff regime and increment in pump price of petrol at a time our people are still languishing in pains and pangs triggered by lockdown due to COVID 19 pandemic?
“How on earth will successive leaders of our nation kowtow to the World Bank/IMF directives without due diligence on the negative impact such directive will have on the citizen of this country?”
