After the nationwide #EndBadGovernanceinNigeria protests held from August 1 to 10, organizers are preparing for another round of demonstrations, set to take place in October. These upcoming protests have been dubbed the ‘Fearless in October Protest.’
The Director of Mobilisation for the Take It Back Movement, Damilare Adenola, confirmed the plans on Monday, stating that the protest’s demands would remain the same unless new issues arise that need to be addressed. “Yes. It is called the ‘Fearless in October Protest.’ Our charter of demands stands as same. If at all, we will add more as the country decays more,” Adenola said.
The previous protests saw large crowds of youths from across Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory, taking to the streets despite warnings from government officials. Their list of demands included major reforms such as the scrapping of the Senate, turning law-making into a part-time job for members of the House of Representatives, setting a minimum wage of N250,000, and rolling back fuel prices and electricity tariffs to pre-January 2023 levels. Additionally, the protesters called for the release and compensation of EndSARS and political detainees.
When asked if protesters would comply with court orders from various state governments that require demonstrations to be held at designated locations, Adenola firmly told PUNCH, “We won’t accept the compliance.”
Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, also spoke on the current efforts to ensure the release of protesters who were arrested during the earlier demonstrations. “All efforts are being directed towards securing the release of those that have been arrested,” Adeyanju said via a phone call.
