Protesters defy Tinubu’s plea, continue demonstration in Rivers

•‘Why we shunned protest in Cross River’

Despite President Bola Tinubu’s appeal for an immediate suspension of the nationwide protest, residents of Rivers State took to the streets yesterday, in continuation of the hunger protest.

The protesters gathered at the Federal Government Secretariat, blocking sections of the road from Hotel Presidential Junction, making bonfires with tyres.

The protest, which began at the usual Pleasure Park, saw demonstrators chanting and waving the Nigerian flag and palm fronds. Recall that the President, in his address on August 4, had urged youths nationwide to embrace dialogue, citing the havoc caused by the protests in some states.

However, the continued protest in the state suggested that the President’s appeal fell on deaf ears, with demonstrators determined to press on with their demands.

However, protesters expressed disappointment with the President’s speech, saying it lacked practical measures to address their demands. The State Coordinator of the Human Rights Council, Demowa Dumka Douglas, stated that Tinubu’s address failed to provide concrete solutions to the citizens’ grievances.

He said: “We need practical and urgent steps towards meeting our demands. We will be here for 10 days until the people who wrote that speech for him will rewrite it for him, reflecting practical steps to our demands.”

On his part, the National Coordinator of the Save Our Rights Council, Arochukwu Paul Ogbonna, said that they will continue protesting till their demands are met.He also spoke on why the protesters converged on Pleasure Park and moved to the Federal Secretariat.

HOWEVER, Cross River State remained calm with residents going about their normal activities on the first, second and third days of the national protest against bad governance.

Most young people, who stayed away from the protest, said that they did not join the protest because of Governor Bassey Otu’s disposition towards it, as well as his commitment to the welfare of its citizens, especially the poor, challenged and vulnerable.

A visit to some local councils like Calabar South, Calabar municipality, Odukpani, Akamkpa, Akpabuyo and others shows that people were going about their businesses freely.

The Guardian checks at major points in Calabar Municipality, including the popular Ika IkaOqua Market, popularly known as Marian Market, IBB, Mobil, Etta Agbor Roundabout, Effio-Ete, state and federal secretariats, reveal that the youths were committed to their promise to the governor that they would not be part of the protest.