August 1 will be remembered as a historic day in Nigeria.
Indeed, Nigerians were not bluffing about the #EndBadGovernanceProtest.
A few days ago, August 1 appeared like Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
Talks of this protest littered the net for weeks, leaving the country with a very tense atmosphere.
This protest, tagged ‘Days of Rage’ will leave Nigerians in the streets for ten days.
This tension left politicians and the Federal Government under heavy pressure.
Despite numerous threats by security agencies to protesters, Nigerians insisted on the #EndBadGovernanceProtest.
According to Nigerians, the hunger and hardship had become unbearable.
To them, the hardship is a result of the policies by the President Bola Tinubu-led government.
Now, as we speak, the planned protest has begun, despite the threats and pleas.
Prior to this protest, troops of heavily armed security officers were deployed to various states across the country.
In fact, one would be forced to think that the country is preparing for war.
However, this was not enough to stop the #EndBadGovernanceProtest.
The day of the protest came at last, and Nigerians could not wait to hit the streets and express their grievances.
At first, the turnout was poor.
However, as the events unfold, so does the drama, and the suspense.
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In this article, we will walk you through what happened in all the states in Nigeria on the first day of Days of Rage.
Abuja
Let’s start with the country’s seat of power, Abuja.
Before the #EndBadGovernanceProtest, the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike had warned the protest organisers not to show their faces in Abuja.
According to him, the FCT is a no-go area for the protest.
Trust Nigerians, Omoyele Sowore, a former presidential candidate was quick to react.
He told Wike that the ‘Days of Rage’ will begin in Abuja.
Fast forward to August 1.
Chaos erupted in Abuja when the Police fired teargas at protesters.
Meanwhile, the gates of the federal secretariat in Abuja has been closed to the public.
The gates of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service was locked, with security personnel stationed at the entrance.
During the beginning of the protest, protesters adhered to the court’s directive limiting demonstrations to the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.
The usually busy Eagles Square was found deserted as demonstrators at the stadium chose not to enter the main area for their protest.
However, slowly, protesters started gathering at the Eagles Square.
Protesters at the Eagles Square in Abuja rejected an attempt by the Minister of State for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, to address them, chanting “hunger dey” and drowning out his voice.
However, after calming the crowd, Olawande assured them he wasn’t there to suppress the protest, citing his own experience participating in numerous demonstrations.
Despite Olawande’s efforts, the protesters refused to relocate to the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, citing a recent parallel protest that occurred without police interference.
Also in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command arrested a protester with a knife.
The protester was caught with a knife at the National Stadium.
Lagos
While talks of this protest were on, all eyes were on Lagos.
This city is the commercial hub of Nigeria, housing many businesses, companies, and offices.
Indeed, the #EndSARS had taught many business owners a bitter lesson.
Hence, on August 1, as the protest commenced, many businesses, companies, and offices had no choice but to close down.
Youths in their numbers converged on Ikeja Undebridge where they were expected to move to Ojota.
The aggrieved individuals converged around 8:00 a.m. in their numbers, chanting solidarity songs and holding placards calling for better governance.
The protest is taking place amid tight security presence, including the police, LNSC, and civil defence.
Although, there were scanty vehicles on the roads like the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Alausa routes, youths in their hundreds, however, began to march from the Underbridge.
In Lagos, a woman captured attention during the protest by demonstrating with an empty pot on her head, symbolising her struggle with hunger.
The woman, visibly emotional, stood out among the hundreds of protesters at the gathering.
Her cries of “Ebi o, ebi o,” which translates to “hunger, hunger” in English, echoed through the crowd as tears streamed down her face, drawing attention to her plight.
Another highlight of the protest in Lagos was when a man took off his clothes and walked the street of Ojota, alongside other protesters, naked and singing “Solidarity forever“.
Meanwhile, protesters at the Lekki toll gate had to flee the scene as security forces fired teargas to disperse them.
A security official instructed the protesters to relocate to designated protest areas. When the protesters refused, the police responded with tear gas to scatter the crowd.
The scamper for safety was grave, forcing everyone off the location.
Kano
The city of Kano witnessed a tragic incident on Thursday, as one person, identified as Ismael Ahmad Musa, was killed in the Hotoro area of Tarauni Local Government.
The victim, a resident of Hotoro Danmarke, was confirmed dead by his brother, Mubarak.
In a related development, another individual is reportedly battling for his life at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) after sustaining serious injuries, suspected to be from a stray bullet.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) office in Kano has been set ablaze. A large number of youths, armed with dangerous weapons, took over major roads in Kano, leading to widespread unrest.
The newly constructed NCC office was scheduled for inauguration next week.
Aggrieved youths in Kano State have breached the security of the state government house, amidst the protest against hardship in the country.
Armed with cudgels and stripped to their singlets in some cases, the protesters chanted anti-government slogans after erecting bonfires outside the precinct of the government building.
Port Harcourt
In Rivers State, Governor Siminalayi Fubara encountered a strong backlash from #EndBadGovernance protesters.
This happened at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Thursday after he offered them money for pure water.
The governor’s attempt to placate the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria demonstrators with a small monetary gesture and a request for them to disperse intensified their discontent.
Every attempt by the governor to calm the crowd and clarify his intentions were unsuccessful, as the protesters continued to express their anger.
Fubara eventually waved to the crowd and departed from the scene outside the Government House.
However, there are no reports of death from Rivers State.
Oyo State
In Oyo State, various groups and organisations advocating for the welfare of the populace are leading the ongoing protest.
These groups and organisations have taken their protests to key locations in Ibadan.
It was mentioned that one of the protests began in front of the University of Ibadan, while another commenced at Iwo Road.
Additionally, a protest started at Mokola Roundabout and another at Dugbe.
One of the protesting groups marched through the University of Ibadan, Bodija, and Secretariat Road.
The procession that was initiated at Mokola Roundabout passed through University College Hospital (UCH), Total Garden, and Agodi Gate.
Children Of Jalingo
In an unprecedented show of activism, children aged 8 to 13, along with youths, marched through the streets of Jalingo on Thursday afternoon to protest the ongoing hardships in the country.
Chanting “Bamu ai, bamu ai,” which means “We don’t agree, we don’t agree,” the children sought to highlight the difficulties they are facing.
The protest began on the well-known Hamaruwa Way and moved towards the flyover bridge, one of the city’s prominent landmarks.
The young protesters voiced their concerns loudly, calling for immediate measures to address their plight.
Niger State
Six protesters have been reportedly shot dead, with many others sustaining injuries in the ongoing hardship protest in Suleja, Niger State.
The victims were killed while security operatives were struggling to dislodge a group of protesters who mounted a barricade on a section of the Abuja-Kaduna highway, trapping motorists for several hours.
However, an uproar occurred after the arrival of the reinforcement team, which was sent to restore sanity to the area.
A resident of Hassan Dalatu Road, Suleja, identified as Yahaya Nda Isah, was reportedly hit by a stray bullet while on his bike in front of the Suleja Police ‘A’ division, where protesters had assembled.
A Visit To Jos
Now, let’s pay a visit to Jos.
In Jos, the General Overseer and President of El-Buba Outreach Ministries International (EBOMI), Dr. Isa El-buba, took the lead in the hunger protest.
As the national coordinator of the Initiative for Better and Brighter Nigeria (IBBN), he assured participants that the demonstration would remain peaceful throughout its duration.
Protesters gathered at the Plateau Secretariat overhead bridge as early as 6:00 a.m. before proceeding towards the old airport roundabout in Jos.
As of 11:00 a.m., there had been no reports of violent incidents.
Bauchi
The #EndBadGovernance protests in Bauchi State faced significant disruptions, as police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators.
In Bauchi, protesters had assembled in front of the Emir of Bauchi’s palace, demanding a meeting with the Emir to discuss their grievances.
However, they were met with a police barricade. Despite their insistence on meeting with the Emir, the police used tear gas to break up the gathering.
Borno State
The Borno State Police Command has imposed a 24-hour curfew amid the nationwide hunger protest.
The declaration was made after many protesters went berserk at the Bulunkutu area, in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, on Thursday, as the police officers fired teargas to disperse them.
Angry protesters, in their hundreds, mounted roadblocks, preventing vehicular movement and breaking windscreens of private and commercial
vehicles that insisted on passing.
The young men and women protesting were seen chanting anti-government songs, carrying placards with the inscriptions: “Ba ma yi”, “Tinubu must go”, “End the bad governance” and “there is hunger”.
One of the protesters, identified as Muhammad, said the teargas would not deter them, or even gunshots, while exercising their constitutional right to protest.
Kaduna
Three youths have been killed, while several others were injured in the protest against bad governance, which turned violent in Kaduna on Thursday.
Eyewitnesses said, “the number of protesters mostly youths and the unemployed, which had outnumbered the security operatives, marched from the Rigasa area and from the Abakwa end, towards the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, the official residence and office of the state Governor.”
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A protester, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “we were matching peacefully and no one was carrying any offensive weapon.
“I think the security operatives near the Government House were threatened by our large number.
“Suddenly, a vehicle, that they use in spraying hot water on protesters, came speeding towards us from the Government House axis and sprayed us with hot water, then another security vehicle came on speed from the 44 Reference Hospital end.
Market Women Take Over Protest In Delta
Meanwhile, market women in Ughelli metropolis and nearby communities took control of the ongoing protest in Delta State, expressing their frustration over widespread hunger.
At Otovwodo Junction in the Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, they waved green leaves as a symbol of solidarity and dissatisfaction.
The demonstrators, numbering over two thousand, including women and youths, occupied the East-West Road, halting traffic and blocking travelers from reaching their destinations by barricading the major route.
Hon. Jaro Egbo, the chairman of the Ughelli North local government council, urged the protesters to remain peaceful and avoid violence.
Stick with iBrandtv, as we bring you bit-by-bit updates on the #EndBadGovernanceProtest…
