Tension as protesters end 10-day protest with million man march

The announcement by the organisers of the 'End Bad Governance' protest to commence day 10 of the demonstration with a one million-man march has sent shivers down the spine of many Nigerians. 

Allnews.ng had reported that tens of thousands of Nigerians are currently participating in the protest under the banner of #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria. 

With a 15-demand proposal for the Federal government, the protest organisers called for days of street demonstrations beginning from August 1 to protest against bad governance, corruption and the increasing cost of living that has left millions of Nigerians in extreme hardship.

Re-living memories: End Bad Governance protest day 1 to 9

It wasn't surprising that the End Bad Governance protest was massively welcomed by Nigerians on the first day of its commencement (August 1st).

The economic hardship, high cost of living, hunger and the lackadaisical attitude of the government towards Nigerians was a major motivation that drove citizens to the streets with many holding placards of different inscriptions calling for an end to the economic hardship and bad governance ravaging the country. 

While day one of the protest was a bit calm in some parts of the country, such as Lagos, Ekiti, and a few others, it wasn't as peaceful in other states. 

In Kano, looters broke into a yet-to-be-inaugurated office of the Nigerian Communications Commission, taking away furniture, and electronic items. 

The police said 269 people were arrested with the recovery of many 25-litre groundnut oil cartons and other items that had initially been looted.

Day 2 of the protest saw the anger and hunger in Nigerians taking its full form on the streets of different states across the country as well as the government using excessive force to curb the protest. 

Allnews.ng reported that in some parts of the country, such as the northern Kano and Yobe states, authorities imposed a curfew as some protesters attacked vehicles, burning them. 

In Abuja, the police fired back teargas shells to disperse protesters, and gunshots were heard. By Friday morning (Day 2), rights group Amnesty International’s Nigeria head said at least 13 protesters had been killed, and more than 300 arrested.

On day 3 of the protest, though economic activities were already picking up, protesters said they wouldn’t back down. However, a handful of protesters arrived at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja for Day 3 of the protest.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, FCT, Ishyaku Shuaibu, addressed journalists at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja but minutes after the address, the Nigeria police attacked peaceful protesters at the National Stadium.

At the end of day 3, protesters agreed to hold a church service at the protest ground on Sunday and then continue demonstrations on Monday.

The protesters also announced that Monday’s demonstration will not be confined but will be extended. 

Day 4 of the nationwide protests saw President Bola Tinubu addressing Nigerians on national TV over the ongoing End Bad Governance protest.

The president appealed to protesters to end the demonstration and dialogue with the government while reeling out policies his government had put in place to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians.

Allnews.ng noted that day 4 of the protest started slowly in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, on Sunday as near normalcy returned to the city. Though many of the streets were still deserted, more commuters and commercial vehicles were seen than during the first three days of the protest.

The low turnout of protesters on day 4 may be attributed to fatigue, religious activities, or President Bola Tinubu‘s address earlier in the day.

However, protesters in Plateau State had a Sunday worship service at the Old Airport roundabout in Jos where the demonstrators had gathered since the commencement of the protest. 

Day 5 of the End Bad Governance protest in Lagos saw protesters converging at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota, to continue their demonstration despite the nationwide broadcast by President Bola Tinubu. 

However, in Abuja, security forces fired teargas at protesters at Moshood Abiola Stadium on Monday morning.

In the Northern part of the country, day 5 saw a new trend of protesters waving foreign flags during the nationwide protest. 

Allnews. ng also reported that some protesters were seen holding Russian flags near the Nyanya bridge, a suburb in Abuja. 

On the 5th day of the protest in Kaduna, Plateau, Kano and a few other Northern states, curfews were imposed as the protest turned violent with hoodlums and thugs looting government properties and private businesses. 

Days 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the ongoing End Bad Governance protest had since been relatively peaceful given the extent to which state governments handled the protest, which was majorly through the imposition of curfews, especially in the northern parts of the country. 

One-million-man-march of End Bad Governance protest sends tension, fear across Nigeria

One of the main organizers of the nationwide #EndBadGovernance demonstration, Take It Back Movement, announced a one-million-man protest for Saturday (today) throughout all 36 states as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Allnews.ng reports that this was revealed in a statement released in Abuja by the movement's national coordinator, Sanyaolu Juwon.

Juwon in the statement made available to journalists in Abuja, said, “the Take It Back Movement (TIB), side-by-side with other organisers and organisations will today, lead a monumental one-million-man protests in each of the 36 states and the FCT, Abuja.“This event will mark a critical juncture in our nationwide EndBadGovernanceInNigeria campaign, which began on August 1, 2024.“ It started as a planned 10-day protest but has evolved into a sustained and widespread movement, drawing participants from every corner of Nigeria and the diaspora,” the statement said.

The announcement of the one-million-man-march protest has since ignited tension and fear among Nigerians. 

Many Nigerians have bemoaned the announcement while reeling their fear of a repeat of what happened on the first five days of the ongoing protest in which hoodlums and thugs disguised as protesters caused mayhem and havoc throughout the country. 

In fear and tension, petty traders and business owners may decide to lock up their shops and businesses in anticipation of the one-million-man-march protest while making their fear known that hoodlums and thugs would use the opportunity to loot and raid as they initially did in the five days of protest. 

The scarcity of transportation across the country is set to be highly pronounced as owners of commercial vehicles fear that angry protesters and hoodlums would destroy vehicles commuting passengers instead of participating in the protest. 

However, as the tension of the one-million-man-march Day 10 End Bad Governance protest eats up the country, the Nigeria security agencies have assured Nigerians to go on with their day-to-day activities while pledging that their security officers would ensure the protection of lives and property during the tenth day of the End Bad Governance protest.