Organisers urge protesters to converge in Ikeja, warn against infiltration

A coalition of youths, civil societies, socialists, and radical groups, has said that the planned August 1-10 protest would hold despite threats and intimidation from some quarters.

The groups, during a media briefing, yesterday, in Lagos, hinted that the protests would take off from Ikeja Under-Bridge in Lagos State at 7.00 a.m. with a peaceful march and rally.

The coalition warned that anyone coming with the intention to foment violence should steer clear of the protest and also cautioned the police, Department of State Services (DSS) and security agencies not to deploy agents to infiltrate the protest and cause trouble.

The coalition, which includes Joint Action Front (JAF), PRP Vanguard, Yoruba Revolutionary Movement (YOREM), among others, maintained that the protest was aimed at addressing the “anti-poor and neo-liberal capitalist policies” of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, which, according to them, had led to unprecedented levels of hunger and hardship.

The groups said that their 16 cardinal demands include the reversal of fuel subsidy and electricity tariff to pre-May 29, 2023 levels.

Others include end to hardship and hunger, recall of victimised activists, end of security vote, free quality healthcare for all, and an end to attacks on press freedom.

Other demands, according to them, include an end to school fee hike, placing all political office holders on minimum wage, reversing all anti-poor and neo-liberal capitalist policies, fixing public refineries and building new ones under democratic workers’ control and management, reversing all privatisation of public enterprises and placing them under democratic control and management, ending insecurity, police brutality, and kidnapping, among others.

Representative of the ERC, Hassan Soweto, said it was disheartening that despite the people’s anguish, the ruling class had not had the courage to address the fundamental reason why the protest was called.