Security agencies say there are no plans to stop the protests slated for October 1 tagged #FearlessInOctober.
This is even as the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, told journalists that the security agencies are already engaging some of the organisers.
Onanuga was quoted to have said: “Government is not against any peaceful protest by Nigerians. After all, it is their fundamental right to stage any protest.
“But government is always apprehensive about such protests degenerating into a riot as we experienced in August or the 2020 EndSARS protest in many parts of the country.
“Security agencies have been discussing with some of the organisers and they are being monitored so that they do not plunge the country into chaos or allow themselves to be used by internal and external forces which want to subvert the country and the 16-month-old administration.”
The organisers have already written to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to request security during the demonstration, noting that protest is a fundamental right they would not submit to any state agent.
Nigeria will celebrate its 64th independence on Tuesday, October 1, the day some Nigerian youths have taken to protest the hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy and the devaluation of the naira.
The National Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, Juwon Sanyaolu, and Director of Mobilisation of the group, Damilare Adenola, said mobilisation efforts had begun, adding that Nigerians were mobilising from different parts of the country for the protest.
“We have also written to the Inspector General of Police, informing him of our protest locations and reminding him of the constitutional duty of the police to protect protesters as opposed to the repression we have witnessed in times past,” said Sanyaolu.
The group explained that the FCT protest would be held at the Eagle Square, the same venue of the Independence Day parade, while the Lagos protest would take place at the Ikeja Under Bridge.
Security agents who spoke on condition of anonymity said to protest is right of every citizen and there is no plan to stop any peaceful protest.
Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Olanrewaju Ishola, has ordered the immediate and optimal deployment of human and operational resources across strategic locations in the state ahead of the protest.
Police Spokesperson in Lagos, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the Commissioner had charged the officers to be professional, civil but firm.
Hundeyin said Ishola had met with the people alleged to be organisers of the protest.
He said the meeting with the protest organisers was part of proactive measures to ensure safety.
The police commissioner also urged the protesters to remain peaceful and law abiding in all their actions.
Last week, the Department of State Services (DSS) released six detained #EndBadGovernance protesters who participated in the August 1-10 anti-hunger protests across the country.
They were released following the directive of the new director-general of the DSS, Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, that all those arrested during the protest and cleared of any wrongdoing be released immediately.
Meanwhile, human rights advocate and founder of the #RevolutionNow movement, Omoyele Sowore, has said they are set for the protest on October 1 and it would be peaceful and widespread across Nigeria.
Sowore outlined the rationale behind the protest, citing the severe challenges of hunger, insecurity and economic hardship the current administration has inflicted upon Nigerians.
Among his key demands is the immediate and unconditional release of all individuals detained during previous demonstrations, as well as a call for the liberation of all political prisoners.
He said the suffering of the populace was a direct consequence of insensitive government policies.
Sowore’s specific demands include the release of all protesters detained during prior demonstrations, including Nnamdi Kanu, implementation of a living wage for workers, reversal of subsidy removal, immediate action to tackle banditry, terrorism and various security challenges, introduction of job creation initiatives targeting millions of unemployed youth, investment in the power sector and infrastructure to stimulate economic growth.
He also called for reform of the education sector and restructuring of governance, reforms in the judiciary and electoral processes, including provisions for diaspora voting.
The former presidential candidate for the African Action Congress (AAC), while reflecting on the motivations for the protest, in light of similar demonstrations held in August, said the protests aim to highlight economic suffering, insecurity and systemic injustice.
He lamented the lack of progress since the last protests, stating, “Conditions have deteriorated. Inflation is rising, insecurity is worsening, and many communities are suffering devastating floods due to governmental negligence.”
Sowore insisted that protests are essential expressions of the people’s pain, serving as a constitutional right to illuminate their struggles. “Remaining silent could imply acceptance. We must speak out against the suffering of our people; it’s our patriotic duty,” he asserted.
He is also calling for Constitutional reforms aimed at restructuring Nigeria’s legislative framework and addressing diverse regional needs as well as Comprehensive efforts to combat hunger and poverty through revamped subsidy regimes, educational grants, and vigorous campaigns for free, compulsory education.
He is also pushing for demilitarisation of the South East and the unconditional release of political detainees, investigations into corruption among past and present leaders, with recovered funds allocated to education and infrastructure, and establishment of a Special Energy Fund to drive ethical investment in the power sector and enhance public safety.
He concluded by calling for significant judicial reforms, aggressive public investment, and a commitment to addressing the needs of Nigeria’s youth.