Rights activists, along with representatives from the Nigeria Police, took to social media on Wednesday to share last-minute comments and insights regarding the planned nationwide protest scheduled to take place on Thursday. This protest is aimed at addressing the significant economic hardships that many Nigerians are currently experiencing in their daily lives.
Several prominent commentators joined the conversation online, using their various social media platforms to express their views. These included notable figures such as Omoyele Sowore, who is known for his activism, the popular musician Charles Oputa, often referred to as Charly Boy, the former Education Minister Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, as well as former presidential aide Reno Omokri and activist Aisha Yesufu.
Sowore, in his remarks, encouraged Nigerian workers across the nation to take a stand by boycotting work to join the protest. He stated, “We urged Nigerian workers to boycott work and join #EndBadGovernance tomorrow. We ask those who may not be able to join to stay at home,” highlighting the urgency and importance he places on collective action during this pivotal moment.
In contrast to the activists, the Nigeria Police shared a message via their X handle, previously known as Twitter, reminding Nigerians about safety and peaceful assembly. Their statement began with a cheerful greeting, “Hello, good morning! It’s the last day of the month of July. We hope for a more fulfilling August. And…if you must protest, do so peacefully. Be watchful and vigilant. Our history is littered with ugly experiences of protests that turned violent. We certainly can’t have a repeat. Not at these fragile moments!” This highlights the police’s concerns regarding the possibility of unrest during the upcoming demonstrations.
Charly Boy, also known as Area Fada 1, passionately responded to critics who are expressing fears about the protest being hijacked by unruly elements. He countered their arguments, saying, “For all those shouting, There should be no protest because it would be hijacked. What do you make of all these ‘nonsense?’ So the anti-protest protesters can protest freely with even security operatives securing them, but the people’s voices must not be heard. Now you know how protests are hijacked and by who. Shame on all of us, weaklings parading as ‘reasonable men.’”
He further lamented the situation, remarking that brave Nigerian youths allow a few unprincipled individuals to wreak havoc and destroy the nation they all share while they remain idle, only to shout slogans like, “give peace a chance.” He posed a thought-provoking question, “Please, is there a monopoly of peace or wickedness?” Charly Boy emphasized that it has become painfully clear that the oppressed often stay oppressed because they feel they have lost their basic rights and sense of normalcy. He exclaimed, “Shame! Shame!! Shame!!! Dia fathers.”
In her remarks, former Minister Ezekwesili provided her perspective on the protests, asserting, “As we can all already see, the only group that will turn the #EndBadGovernanceProtest into the ‘bloody affair’ that @NigeriaGov propagandists are predicting and prophesying is the government and its supporters.” She underscored the fundamental issue, declaring, “The People are simply saying ‘We are hungry and therefore angry.’ We want you to know this and act correctly to solve our problems. Simple.”
Ezekwesili went on to call upon all levels of government—federal, state, and local—to view this nationwide expression of dissatisfaction as an opportunity for serious reflection. “Consider your ways. Produce convincing evidence-backed Responses and Plans of Action to Citizens’ Demands,” she urged. She emphasized that the President of Nigeria has a crucial duty to ensure that citizens exercising their constitutional right to protest against bad governance are fully protected. “@NGRPresident has a Duty to ensure full protection of Citizens who wish to exercise their constitutional right to protest #BadGovernance across the country,” she stated emphatically.
Furthermore, Ezekwesili stressed the role of the police in maintaining order, insisting, “@PoliceNG must do EVERYTHING right by the People. We must remind the @HQNigerianArmy that they cannot in any guise abuse the rights of Citizens. Nigerians Citizens will win. Ultimately.”
Aisha Yesufu also weighed in on the discourse, asserting, “Propaganda cannot work on people that are hungry. The growling of their stomach will drown out the noise and they won’t be able to hear the propaganda.” This illustrates the deep-seated frustrations of the populace over hunger and economic struggles that overshadow any attempts at misinformation.
Reno Omokri, who previously served as an aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, noted a rather amusing and ironic demand made by one of the organizers of the protest. He stated, “I just saw a laughable demand by one of the organisers of tomorrow’s protest demanding that the Lagos State Government provide air-conditioned buses for protesters. Well, I agree with him. As long as the buses are to ferry them to their states of origin.” Omokri highlighted the absurdity of protesting in a city that provides numerous benefits to its civil servants, stating, “You can’t relocate to Lagos from states that owe salaries, like Abia, Nasarawa, and Anambra, only to want to protest in a Lagos that pays civil servants above minimum wage at ₦70,000 and does not owe.”
He continued by questioning the logic of protesting in Lagos while ignoring the dire situations in states failing to pay even the old minimum wage, emphasizing, “You have not protested in Abia, which is not paying even the old minimum wage and is owing workers. But it is in Lagos, where public schools are either free or subsidized, and the government has built red and blue line railways to facilitate inexpensive travel, pays above minimum wage without delay, provides free healthcare, and has undertaken vital infrastructure projects that you want to protest against? No! Go and protest for your state to be as good as Lagos State!”
