The #EndBadGovernance movement has announced plans to stage protests across all states of the federation on June 12, in a bid to voice dissatisfaction with the current administration’s economic policies.
One of the leaders of the movement, Hassan Soweto, revealed this during a press conference held in Lagos on Thursday.
The protests, according to Soweto, are aimed at expressing the grievances of Nigerians suffering from the fallout of the government’s economic reforms, which have exacerbated hardship for many citizens.
Soweto did not hold back in his criticism of the economic policies under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He stated that the removal of the fuel subsidy and the unification of the naira have had dire consequences on the nation’s economy, pushing millions of Nigerians into deeper poverty.
“The removal of the oil subsidy and the naira devaluation have asphyxiated the national economy. This has led to widespread hardship, and without equivocation, we have to say that the past two years of President Tinubu’s government have been nothing short of a disaster for the masses of the Nigerian people,” Soweto said.
He further emphasised that the administration’s neo-liberal reforms, which he described as “anti-poor,” have decimated livelihoods on an unprecedented scale.
Beyond the economic toll, Soweto also expressed deep concerns about what he described as the “abuse of democracy” under the current government. He accused the Tinubu-led administration of stifling the freedoms and rights of Nigerians, likening the situation to a form of dictatorship.
“We have to say that Nigerians are living more or less like enslaved citizens. All the constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms that once inspired struggles against military rule and for democracy have now been completely taken away by the Tinubu administration. The civic space has shrunk to the point where Nigerians can no longer breathe,” he said.
Soweto also urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Moshood Jimoh, to cooperate with the protesters.
