The ‘End Hunger’ protest in Lagos is set to continue today, August 5, 2024, at Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota. Despite President Tinubu’s recent nationwide address, the organisers remain resolute in their cause.
They criticized President Tinubu for taking three days of protests to address the nation. During his broadcast, the President acknowledged the protesters’ concerns and urged them to suspend their demonstrations in favor of dialogue.
The organisers, however, viewed the President’s call for dialogue as contradictory, noting that he simultaneously requested an end to the protests. They condemned the recent violence against protesters, including attacks by thugs during a Sunday morning worship session and an incident where a protester was struck on live television.
The organizers said.
“We consider the President’s decision to address the nation an important victory for our movement,”
The trio also added,
“In our view, the president cannot be approbating and reprobating at the same time. The President cannot offer an olive branch while at the same time holding a dagger to our throat,”
Without our courage and resolve to dare the odds, even this acknowledgement would not have happened. So far, we have demonstrated that a President is not greater than the rest of the country,” the statement from the protest group reads
In response to these events, the organisers are calling on Nigerian youths and the general public to join them at Gani Fawehinmi Park for the fifth consecutive day of protests. They are also urging the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress, the media, and the Nigerian Bar Association to support their cause and not stand idly by as they face suppression.
The ‘End Hunger’ protest aims to draw attention to the pressing issues of hunger and bad governance in Nigeria. The organisers hope that continued demonstrations will push the government to take meaningful action to address these concerns.