… demands implementation of a N500,000 national minimum wage
… It’s threat to national security, Coalition tells DSS
Protests rocked Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Wednesday as the #TakeitBack Movement demonstrated against what it called worsening economic hardship, insecurity, inflation and political repression under the President Bola Tinubu administration.
Tripod Times reports that the demonstration under the banner of the “Festival of the Oppressed,” called for immediate government response to the issues affecting Nigerians.
Maryland was the first port of call in Lagos, as demonstrators converged, sang and chanted slogans, before security operatives dispersed them.
In the Nation’s capital, Abuja, Publisher and Activist, Omoyele Sowore joined the young protesters who carried placards bearing “Nigeria is bleeding”, “No to xenophobia”, “Rescue our people now”, “Free all political prisoners”, and so on.
But security operatives used tear gas to ward off protesters from the venue.
The demonstrators, however, alleged intimidation by an unnamed Assistant Commissioner of Police, refuting claims that they barricaded the roads.
“We are exercising our fundamental constitutional rights,” one of the protesters told journalists in the early hours of the day.
“We did not block any road, an Assistant Commissioner of Police is here to intimidate us. He came alongside a dog to attack us. We are here within the ambit of the law, let it be on record.”
According to the organizers, their demands, among other measures include: the rescue of Nigerians held captive by bandits and kidnappers, implementation of a N500,000 national minimum wage, urgent action on xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa and the withdrawal of charges against activist Omoyele Sowore.
In a swift reaction, a coalition of civil society organisations called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest Sowore, alleging that he constitutes a threat to security of the country.
The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Good Governance in Nigeria made the demand at a rally
The National Chairman of Nigeria Citizens Watch for Good Governance, Collins Eshiofeh, commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration for its Renewed Hope Agenda and praised the approval of a new national minimum wage, saying the government should be allowed to implement the policy without distraction.
But Sowore said the protest was intended to remind Nigerians of the need for what he described as an imminent revolution.
“Today, August 5, we have come to remind the whole country that the revolution is necessary and imminent. And that nothing can stop that revolution. When the people are ready, barbed wire will not stop us. The police will even join; the army will join.
“But we have several demands that we must reiterate here. And they include that Nigerian workers must be paid N500,000 per month as their minimum wage. We have also asked that they release Nnamdi Kanu from unjust and unlawful detention. That they discontinue all forms of trial, whether it’s cybercrime or treason trials against activists and Nigerians who are raising their voice against bad governance in this country.
“Most importantly, to announce that Tinubu’s tenure is over. Tinubu must go! We have our colleagues in Lagos, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, and different places who are also taking action today. This is just the beginning of a series of actions that will be taken. And we urge you, wherever you may be, to join us.”
Also, the Head of Legal Aid of the #TakeItBack Movement, Bolaji Oluwatosin, condemned the disruption of the demonstration by security operatives.
