The Hunger Protest dubbed #EndBadGovernance has kicked of in Nigeria’s federal capital city, Abuja.
As early as 7am this morning, protesters had gathered around the Moshood Abiola (National) Stadium, Abuja, displaying banners and placards with various inscriptions like: ‘Make Lawmaking a part time job’, ‘End Bad Governance Now’, ‘Take It Back Movement’ etc.
The organisers of the nationwide protest, Take It Back Movement, had announced that the protests would hold across the federation from today, August 1 to August 10, 2024.
The protest organisers are making the following 10 demands from President Bola Tinubu administration:
HUNGER
Reduce the cost of food immediately, with solutions like food importation, subsidised credits, and intervene in logistics and storage challenges.
COST OF LIVING
Address the rising cost of living: Reduce pump price of fuel to N195/ltr to reflect current economic challenges; Reduce electricity tariffs, and import taxes.
INSECURITY
Curb insecurity across the country: stop diverting security resources (money & people) and immediately prosecute known instigators & criminals. Resettle internally displaced persons (IDPs) immediately.
GOVERNMENT WASTE / COST OF GOVERNANCE/ BLOATED NASS
PERMANENTLY reduce by 50% the running costs of the executive and National Assembly and fully implement the Oronsaye Report to scrap agencies and reduce the size of government. Scrap hardship, entertainment, and all other NASS allowances and immediately remove all 7,447 projects worth N2.24 trillion inserted by the National Assembly in the 2024 federal budget.
#EndSARS
Release ALL #EndSARS protesters; obey ECOWAS judgement; make public the #EndSARS Judicial Panel Reports and implement recommendations, including payment of compensations.
PROTECT FARMS AND FARMERS
Provide security to farmers across the country, restore stolen lands, subsidise farm inputs – seeds, fertilisers, insecticides and ban destructive GMOs.
HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT
Declare a state of emergency on education and increase budgetary allocation to education and healthcare by 20% and revert to the old National Anthem.
ELECTORAL REFORM
Implement the Justice Uwais report on Electoral Reform and include mandatory electronic balloting and transmission to
IREV, ending with an executive Electoral Bill to the National Assembly by October 1.
The new Electoral Act must be signed by December 2024.
ESTABLISH A LIVING WAGE
Go back to the negotiating table for an implementation plan to establish an unemployment/living wage. Enforce implementation across board. Create immediate employment for youths and clear ALL backlog of pensions.
CONSTITUTIONAL AND JUDICIAL REFORMS
Sponsor Executive Bill to the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to allow for referendums. Nigerians want to vote on a new constitution! The process of appointment and discipline of judges should be transparent.
