Massive Lagos crowd shout ‘no to violent protest’

Fela’s Army Arrangement song inspired the thousands of Lagos protesters who gathered in the Ojota area of the state.

 

They sing along, overwhelming the loudspeakers, “One day go be one day! Those wey dey steal the money for government! One day go be one day! Those wey dey steal the money for government!”

 

For the protesters, it was D-Day to nudge the government to address their plight.

 

At 7 am, about a hundred of them led by some activists including Hassan Soweto, Zikora Ibeh and Juwon Sanyaolu among others, converged at the Ikeja Under Bridge from where they walked in procession to the OJota Freedom Park amidst a chant of End to Bad governance.

 

The crowd later surged into thousands at Ojota where the protesters occupied a section of the road, while staying clear off the other lanes.

 

Even though combat-looking soldiers and policemen were stationed around the Ojota area, the protesters were undeterred as they mounted their sound system to sing and dance to Fela songs.

 

The commissioner of police, Lagos State had earlier addressed the protesters, urging them to be law-abiding and be restricted to the protest venue.

 

Before the arrival of the protesters, the military and other government security agencies had mounted surveillance at strategic locations, particularly expected venues of the protest including Ikeja and Alausa.

 

When they protesters arrived, they greeted the stern-looking security operatives with the chant of ‘no violence.’