Workers Union Declare Opposition to Planned Protest as ‘Enemy of the Nigerian People’; Police Warns

Nigerian workers under the aegis of All Workers Convergence (AWC) have declared that anyone opposed to the planned protest against hunger and bad governance in the country is an enemy of the people.

The AWC made this declaration via a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze, and made available to pressmen on Monday.

The planned protest across the country is billed to commence from 1st August to 10th August in the first instance. However, pro-establishment voices have cautioned against it, fearing a repeat of the popular revolt in Kenya inside Nigeria, which is considered a fragile state.

But organizers of the protest say the protests became necessary given the challenges Nigerians are currently going through.

“In a situation like ours in Nigeria, protest becomes a collective duty. It is however, antisocial not to participate in protest.

“Our people have lost hope in the system. All our able-bodied citizens are either leaving or planning to leave the country. Our people are being daily strangled by bad governance. Our government keep telling us the same old story.

“While the mass majority of our people pass through hardship, our rulers and a very few are immersed in unimaginable wealth and wastage of national resources.

They emphasize that protest is a constitutional right that cannot be taken away or criminalized under any guise.

Police Deny Divisive Message

However, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has distanced himself and the police force from a trending message on social media in which the IG, himself from the SouthWest of Nigeria, appeared to raise somewhat divisive questions to protesters in order to divide their loyalties along regional lines.

For example, the message purportedly from the IG asked, “If you are going to join any protest next week, it’s good, but ask yourself these questions: Why is Lagos always their target? How about starting from your state?”

A statement from the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the WhatsApp message “did not originate from the police,” nor does “the message…essentially represent the ideals or views of the Nigeria Police Force”.

He assured the Police Force is committed to maintaining peace and order throughout the country. The statement sternly warned that spreading misinformation, disinformation, fake news, or mischievous recycled content is a criminal act punishable under the Cybercrime law. 

Nigerians, particularly the youths, have scheduled a nationwide protest from August 1st to 10th to draw the government’s attention to the country’s prevailing hardships.

Inflation is at an all-time high, nearing 40%. The currency has been devalued by nearly 200% amid stagnant wages, unemployment, food shortages, and insecurity.

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