Bringing together thousands of citizens who are aware of the country’s dire economic situation, the ongoing protest, dubbed #FearlessInOctober, is being organized by the Coalition of Concerned Citizens of Nigeria and supported by members of the Take it Back Movement. Leading the protest is Omoyele Sowore, a leading Nigerian opposition figure who is in Lagos to call for action.
Addressing a press conference in Ikeja, Sowore described the protest as a crucial wake-up call to take Nigeria to the “promised land.” He slammed the current ruling class, saying it was high time for Nigerians to break free from their grip. According to him, political leaders have had enough time to serve the country but instead, they have plunged it into darkness.
“This is one of the actions that will take us to the promised land. We did it in August and today is a symbolic day to reject their own independence because we want ours. Have we tried long enough? We have run out of time. We have given them more time, look what Buhari has done with it, they bought themselves a private jet, they bought themselves a new house, they increased the price of fuel. We have given them more time, they have plunged us into darkness. We have given them more time, they have given us minimum wage and given themselves maximum wage. Let them resign, that is how we will know if they really understand the plight of the people this time,” he said.
The protest also took place at Freedom Park in Osun and Pleasure Park in Rivers State, where youths came out in droves to demand good governance and express their dissatisfaction with the current situation. This citizen mobilization demonstrates the will of the Nigerian people to take charge of their future and to demand accountability from a ruling class deemed to be failing.