Cost of living protest reaches Osun, as Nigerians groan hardship 

 

Nigerians in Osun State on Friday embarked on a protest to reject the hardship inflicted by the President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government, saying “we can’t cope again.”

The group of youths staged the peaceful protest in Osogbo, Osun State, decrying the rising cost of living, with a call on the government to immediately intervene.

The protesters, who wielded placards with inscriptions such as “change the unfavourable policies”, “Nigerians are suffering, we can’t cope again”, and “We are humans, stop mistreating the citizens”, among others, assembled along MDS Road, Osogbo very early.

Despite the large presence of police operatives near the scene of the protest, the youth kept singing songs expressing the frustration of many Nigerians caused by the harsh economy.

Addressing the protesters, the chairman, Osun Civil Societies Coalition, Mr. Waheed Lawal, said the protest would continue until the Federal Government finds solutions to the current economic hardship ravaging the country.

He said, “Government must ameliorate the suffering of the people. They must do whatever they need to do to make sure that the people live in better conditions.

“Nigerians deserve the best. They promised us renewed hope but what they are giving us now is renewed hardship. We reject renewed hardship in our lives, and in our economy because Nigerians deserve the best.

“What Nigerians want is a peaceful atmosphere. We don’t want insecurity in our land again. We can’t travel from Osogbo to Ibadan without panicking. You will be thinking that they will kidnap you.

“The abduction of monarchs is the order of the day in our country now. We urge the government to provide security for the life and property of the citizens. It is their responsibility, it is a constitutional responsibility.

“Every government that fails to provide security for the lives of the citizens is no longer a government. What we are saying is simple, we are ready to face the government in this hardship and we are marathon runners.

“We have started this struggle today and if the government fails to listen to us, we will continue to mobilise our people to protest this hardship because enough is enough.”

Recall that on Wednesday, Nigerians in Kogi staged a massive protest over the high costs of food items.

Market women and men who protested in the streets of Lokoja, the state capital, lamented the ever increasing prices of essential commodities and how it has affected patronage of their businesses.

The Kogi protest followed similar action in Minna and later in Suleja, the commercial nerve centre of Niger State which is only a few kilometres away to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The angry Nigerians had stormed the streets on Wednesday, calling on the President Bola Tinubu-led government to end the hardship and unbearable inflation they were suffering.