On the 1st of August, 2024, concerned Nigerians made history by agitating for better governance and an improved standard of living for the masses.
The country has been facing various economic challenges, including a hike in fuel prices, a surge in the prices of essential commodities such as food, and other unavoidable necessities.
The sad state of the economy is also marked by a consistent increase in the inflation rate. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that all measures of inflation rose in June 2024, albeit at a slower pace. Headline inflation increased to 34.2 percent in June 2024 from 22.8 percent in June 2023 and 34.0 percent in May 2024.
In reaction to the hardship, Nigerians decided to come out en masse to express their dissatisfaction with the government and its handling of the critical situation.
Protesters in Oyo, Lagos, and other parts of the country demonstrated with placards and cardboard bearing messages to the government in the #EndBadGovernanceinNigeria protest.
Notably, some states, including Oyo State, have recorded zero instances of violence as protesters embraced peace while expressing their grievances. Many other states, on the other hand, have witnessed havoc, disaster, chaos, and the destruction of lives and properties.
Investigations revealed according to Punch noted that the death toll across the nation has reached 17, while many others have sustained injuries. States such as Abuja, Adamawa, Gombe, Kano, Kebbi, Niger, and Borno have suffered multibillion-naira damage to government properties and looting of government equipment.
Critically examining the situation in Oyo State, this writer acknowledges the peaceful environment during the protest, attributed to a proactive actions and statement from the state government prior to the protest.
Makinde, speaking at the grand finale of the 2024 Ibadan Week organized by CCII, a program held just days before the protest, explicitly sensitized citizens on the need to protest peacefully. The Governor explained that protests involving the destruction of properties would yield nothing and retrogress the state. He added that money meant to alleviate hunger in the state would end up being spent on repairing damaged properties.
He said: “undefinedcould be in this situation for now. We could be experiencing anger and hunger in the land, and that is why our people want to protest.
“Yes, protest is everybody’s right. But remember that we used your money to build all the structures and facilities we have put in place in this state, not mine. So, if you want to protest, it must be peaceful.
“If you begin your protest, don’t destroy government properties; otherwise, we will have to use the money we are supposed to spend on meaningful projects to replace facilities that may get destroyed.”
In a proactive step, the Governor, through the Special Adviser on Security to the Oyo State Governor, CP Fatai Owoseni (rtd), organized a security stakeholder meeting to prepare for the planned protest and engage different interest groups. These preparations contributed to the peaceful demonstration in Oyo State.
In a similar but unfortunate development, the Governor of Kano, Abba Yusuff, invited protesters to the Government House while giving his solidarity statement. The citizens, in response to his statement, wreaked havoc in the state, destroying government properties and looting businesses.
The words and statements of a leader during critical times are significant and can either bring calm or trigger an outburst.
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