The people in charge of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests have promised not to give up their fight against the country’s worsening conditions.
Even though many of the protesters who were jailed were charged with treason, they promised to keep protesting until Nigeria’s ruling class puts the needs of Nigerians first.
You may remember that the Federal Government charged 76 protesters who were arrested during the last #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest in the country last Friday.
In a video that went around, some of the protesters, including children, looked very hungry. The Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, charged them with 10 counts, including treason and inciting mutiny by telling the military to remove President Bola Tinubu, among other things. They were arraigned before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja. All 76 of the people accused pleaded not guilty.
Recall that four of the defendants—the eighth, 66th, 69th, and 49th—passed out on the way to the dock as they were being brought into the courtroom. As they lay on the floor in pain, lawyers and prison guards helped them leave the chamber.
In response to this, the organizers of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest said that the trial of the children was an unprecedented breach of duty on the part of the government. They also promised to keep the protest going until the poor were given priority in the country.
Damilare Adenola, Director of Mobilization for the Take It Back Movement, told Nigerians on Saturday night that they should expect “a series of protests” because things are getting worse in the country.
He said, “Protesters were arrested and beaten in the same way” in the north of the country as well as in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and other places.
“So there was no preferential treatment,” he said, putting an end to the idea that the protest was divided along a north-south line.
He said that the protesters were “poor Nigerians, economically disadvantaged young people, and they are not different by tribe.” He also said that the ruling party’s decision to fly the Russian flag during the protest was an attempt to make the protest look bad.
He said that the focus on the Russian flags was an attempt to downplay the cries of Nigerians for help and relief from poverty and suffering, calling it “inhuman treatment we saw at the Federal High Court.”
He said, “Until the ruling class in Nigeria puts the needs of the Nigerian people first, we should be ready for a never-ending revolt from the class of the poor Nigerian people who have been hurt by their bad economic policies over the years.”
Kayode Babayomi, who organized the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria event in Ibadan, Oyo State, said that the Nigerian people have the right to say “enough is enough to end bad governance,” no matter what part of the country they are in.
He said, “Nigerians should be sleeping on the street as I speak to you” because of how bad things are in the country.
He also said, “Nigerians need to stop being so resistant and disgusted right now.” A lot of Nigerians show up to stop bad government.
“Because hunger is now the party card for every Nigerian, people who protested in the north of the country also want good government and are against bad government.”
“It’s the same protest with the same demand: stop bad government.” He said, “It’s so sad that the Federal Government is trying them for treason, which goes against their basic rights.” Babayomi is the State Chairman of the African Action Congress in Oyo State.
Concerning the protesters waving Russian flags, which the government didn’t like because they said foreigners were funding the protest, Babayomi said the government has no reason to try the arrested protesters because they were waving foreign flags. He used the example of institutions across the country that have flags of other countries displayed at their buildings to show his point.
“With flags, can you take down a government?” As we speak, some countries are standing with the Palestinians and others with Israel. You can see the flags of both sides in front of some homes. Injustice is a big deal for the current government, and getting away with crimes is what they do for a living. It’s awful to say that protesters are being tried for treason. What does it mean to want a better country? He said, “It shows that the current government is not really for the people.”
For example, Babayomi said, “If everything is fine, you won’t see people coming out to say end bad governance.” He meant that the government should instead deal with the reasons why Nigerians are taking to the streets.
But he made it clear that the call to end bad government was not the same as the call for a military takeover of government. He was against any way for the military to take power.
He said, “Military takeover is not the solution because the bedrock of our problem today was when the military took over the country.” He was talking about the times when the military was in charge of the country.
“That’s why we never pray for the military to take over.” We never thought, hoped, or dreamed that the troops would take over the country… That’s a different kind of bondage. There is no way that we will allow the troops to take over the country.
“All we want from the current government is for them to step down and leave the area.” They don’t know how to improve Nigeria going forward. They should step down for the good of Nigerians.
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