#EndBadGovernance protesters in Ibadan, Oyo State have demanded President Tinubu’s resignation.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that more demands were made in Ibadan on Thursday, the first day of the #EndBadGovernance protests that are scheduled to last a total of 10 days.
The protests, which started at about 7:30 am, kicked off in different parts of Ibadan, including Iwo Road, Mokola, and the Secretariat, almost simultaneously.
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While witnessing the protest, NewsOnline Nigeria observed that the protesters had more unanimous demands beyond the 10 points earlier raised by the conveners of the #EndBadGovernance protest.
Many protesters called for the resignation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the grounds that he and his cabinet are corrupt. Chants of “Tinubu Ole,” which translates to “Tinubu is a thief,” were echoed insistently by the protesters across at least two rallying points.
Agreeing to the demands amidst tears, a market woman who sells cow skin at the Sango market, told FIJ that a suffering citizenry defeats the purpose of a government. She added that resignation was only normal if the people in power could not at least ensure that she profited from her sales.
Young protesters also resoundingly demanded that the government provide more jobs for youths in the country or exit the seat of power. Speaking on the demands for better jobs, Sadiq, a protester and student, said he was exercising his rights to a better future for himself after he finishes school.
“There are quite a number of graduates among us in this protest,” he said.
“Maybe if they had jobs, they would not turn up this massively for a protest. Maybe if they had money. It is beyond just the current president.
“I am exercising my rights to demand a better Nigeria that has a job for me when I finish. We can’t have talents wasting away on the streets after working years and years to develop themselves in schools.”
Meanwhile, the protest struck major commercial centres in Ibadan on Thursday. FIJ observed that major streets such as Agodi, Secretariat Road, Sango, and Samonda had conspicuously light traffic.
Also, typically crowded areas like the one from Sango through to Poly Junction appeared relatively deserted. Similarly, the always-busy Ojoo market was scantily opened on the first day of the protest. A majority of the stalls in the market were closed, as some stall owners took to different protest rallying points to express their dissatisfaction with the government.
Major businesses also did not operate across large commercial centres such as Mokola and Agbowo. Richbam Towers and Ice and Cream were among the businesses that shut down activities on the first day of the protest in Ibadan.
