HUNDREDS of policemen and security operatives have been deployed in major cities across the country as organisers of the #EndBadGovernance protest prepare for a one million-man march today, this newspaper learned.
The protest, scheduled to last for 10 days and expected to climax today, has been marred by killings and attacks on protesters and journalists.
The nationwide protesters are demanding a reversal of the fuel subsidy removal, an increase in the minimum wage to N250,000, and an end to bad governance, among other issues.
Although the protest appeared to have lost steam in some parts of the country, momentum was sustained in states like Kano, Kaduna, Rivers, and Bauchi.
The organising groups threatened to lock down the entire country today (Saturday) to press home their demands, adding that President Bola Tinubu’s Sunday speech was not convincing.
Tinubu had, in a televised statewide broadcast, begged the protesters to end the rallies, asking for patience to fix the country’s problems.
However, the protesters, speaking to this newspaper, noted that they were mobilising the one-million-man march to climax the 10-day rally.
In a statement on Friday, the National Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, Sanyaolu Juwon, said the August 10 protest would represent a pivotal moment in the nationwide #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria campaign.
He said, “The Take It Back Movement, along with other organisers and organisations, will lead a one-million-man protest in each of the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on August 10.
“This event will mark a critical juncture in our nationwide #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria campaign, which began on August 1, 2024.
“It started as a planned 10-day protest but has evolved into a sustained and widespread movement, drawing participants from every corner of Nigeria and the Diaspora.”
Juwon also demanded the release of the protesters and organisers arrested by security agents.
He said, “On the troubling matter of unlawful arrests, we unequivocally condemn the detention of Michael Adaramoye (Lenin), Babatunde Oluajo, and others who were arrested on August 5, and on previous and subsequent days. Their continued imprisonment by the DSS and the police is a gross violation of their rights. We demand their immediate release and call for an end to these unjust detentions.”
One of our correspondents, who toured the Business Central District area in the FCT, observed an increased presence of security agencies, who mounted roadblocks, slowing down vehicular movement.
In addition, our correspondent observed that the number of security operatives at Eagles Square had increased.
Speaking with our correspondent on the arrangement by security agents on Friday, Juwon said the increased presence of security agents and the recent clampdown on protesters would not affect the turnout on Saturday.
He said, “It’s a nationwide one-million-man march. Aside from the fact that we are not prophets, Nigerians have also shown resilience in the face of violent state repression. So, I’d say, let’s meet at the barricades.”
In Lagos, policemen were stationed around major bus stops, including Ojota, Ketu, Obalende, Berger, and other locations where it is believed the protest would take place.
Scores of policemen, led by Commissioner of Police Adegoke Fayoade, accompanied the protesters during a candlelight procession organised to mourn demonstrators who died during the rallies nationwide.
In Kano, men of the Nigeria Police Force, soldiers and NSCDC officials, take over several roads in preparation for the one-million-man march.
This newspaper, while monitoring the situation, observed several stern-looking security personnel patrolling some major streets in the commercial city, mostly from the ever-busy Ibrahim Taiwo Road to both BUK new sites.
In Rivers, there was an increased presence of policemen at the Federal Secretariat and the Pleasure Park along Aba Road in Port Harcourt ahead of the one-million-man march.
However, the protesters did not gather on Friday at the two venues, which are the usual meeting points.