Economic Hardship: Residents, CSOs Stage Peaceful Protest in Osogbo

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

Residents of Osogbo, the Osun State capital, Thursday staged a protest against the economic hardship ravaging the country.

The protest, tagged ‘Osogbo Enough Is Enough, President Bola Tinubu let the poor breathe’, was organised by Osun Civil Societies Coalition (OCSC).

However, security personnel were present at the scenes of the protest in order to maintain peace and order and to avert any public disturbance or violence.

The protesters moved from Nelson Mandela Freedom Park to Oke-Fia roundabout and the popular Olaiya-Overhead bridge in Osogbo.

Fielding questions from journalists, the  Chairman, OCSC, Comrade Waheed Lawal, condemned the Trade Union Congress’ (TUC) decision to shelve of the proposed two-day  nationwide protest over the economic hardship facing millions of Nigerians.

Lawal said the last minute decision by the TUC to back out of the proposed protest which both labour unions agreed upon was worrisome.

He said the union ought to have aligned itself with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) for the best interest of about 200 million Nigerians facing economic hardship and high cost of living.

”I will have loved the TUC to see reason why they ought not to back out at this point because the two days proposed protest is in the best interest of all Nigerians.

”Both labour unions should try and sort things out on or before the commencement of the protest. But if TUC failed to join, we support NLC to carry on with the protest,” Lawal said.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu must look beyond giving millions of naira as palliatives to governors to addressing their hungry subjects but rather find a lasting solution to ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerians.

Also speaking, Comrade Wale Adebisi, Director, Ola-Oni Centre, Osogbo, said the protest was to let those in authority know that the February 27 and 28 protest would be the mother of all protests across the country. 

Adebisi advised President Tinubu to fulfill his promises to Nigerians after the removal of fuel subsidy that has worsened the economic predicament of things in the country.

Earlier, Comrade Ayo Ologun, a human rights activist and public affairs analyst,  condemned the Federal Government policies, saying there should have been programmes already in place to ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerians by President Tinubu.

Ologun said the Federal Government has not “provided CNG buses, no increased national minimum wage, high price of premium motor spirit and high cost of living, among others, which have left many Nigerians suffering”.

He advised he president to quickly fulfill all the promises made with the organised labour in order to make life meaningful to Nigerians.