On Wednesday, students from various higher education institutions in Ogun State announced their decision to not participate in the nationwide protest against hunger and poor governance, which is set to commence today.
The students, represented by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the National Association of Ogun State Students (NAOSS), emphasized that while they support the right of other groups to protest, they themselves will not be joining the demonstrations.
The planned protest, named #EndBadGovernance, aims to highlight the economic challenges faced by Nigerians and is scheduled to take place across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory from August 1 to August 10.
However, during a rally in Abeokuta, the state capital, the students voiced their concerns that the protest could be exploited by criminals to incite violence and disturb public order.
Speaking to the media, Thomas Kehinde, the National President of NAOSS, addressed the student body, urging them to avoid participating in the protests. “We, the leaders of the collective student structures in Ogun State have staged this rally to emphasize that the student community in Ogun State will not be part of the planned nationwide protests.”
Kehinde further explained that although the protest organizers intend for the events to be peaceful, there is a significant risk of them being hijacked by malicious individuals who could turn the demonstrations violent.
“Though planners of the protests said that they would be organized in a peaceful manner; that is easier said than done. We want to caution that such protests could be hijacked by the hoodlums to perpetrate looting, robbery, vandalization of both public and private infrastructure as well as attacks on targeted personalities.”
Recalling the unfortunate events of the EndSARS protests, Kehinde highlighted the potential for violence. “As Nigerians, the bitter experience of the EndSARS protests is still lingering in our memories. Therefore, to avoid the replay of the wanton destruction and alleged killings that accompanied the EndSARS protests, we hereby emphasize that students in Ogun should stay away from the nationwide protests.”
He concluded by urging the students to trust their leaders to safeguard their welfare through peaceful means. “Leaderships of students associations in Ogun State as organized associations dedicated to serving the interests of students will never drive their members to participate in activities that have high propensity of leading to violence and destruction. Therefore, we urge students in the State to remain calm and continue to believe in the ability of their leaders to champion the cause of their welfare and well-being in manners devoid of violence.”
