- President Bola Tinubu appealed to the protesters to stand down and give his administration more time to address their concerns
The Take It Back Movement, a key organizer of the #EndBadGovernance protest, has announced plans for a one-million-man march across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. This event is set to take place today, marking the culmination of the 10-day mass action.
Sanyaolu Juwon, the National Coordinator of the movement, made the announcement in a statement issued late Thursday in Abuja.
“The Take It Back Movement (TIB), along with other organizers and organizations, will on August 10 lead a monumental one-million-man protest in each of the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja,” Juwon stated.
“This event will mark a critical juncture in our nationwide EndBadGovernanceInNigeria campaign, which began on August 1, 2024. What started as a planned 10-day protest has evolved into a sustained and widespread movement, drawing participants from every corner of Nigeria and the diaspora.”
The protest, which began on August 1, aimed to draw attention to the hardships facing Nigerian citizens and is expected to end today, August 10. Despite being marred by incidents of hijacking by criminal elements, the protest has seen significant participation across the country, particularly in the northern states.
In a nationwide broadcast on Sunday, President Bola Tinubu appealed to the protesters to stand down and give his administration more time to address their concerns. However, the protests have continued in Abuja, Rivers, Lagos, and other parts of the country.
Meanwhile, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed support for the Nigerian youths involved in the ongoing protests, describing their demands as legitimate and deserving of attention.
“What the youth (protesters) are demanding is very legitimate and should be listened to. Why should they be denied what rightfully belongs to them? They are frustrated, they are hungry, they are angry, they are unemployed, they deserve to be given listening ears,” Obasanjo said.
Obasanjo made these remarks at his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while receiving six members of the House of Representatives who are co-sponsors of bills advocating for a single-term of six years for the presidency, with rotational leadership between the North and South, as well as the rotation of the governorship among the three senatorial districts of each state.
The legislators were led by Ugochinyere Ikenga, who represents Ideato North and Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo State.
In his comments, Obasanjo lamented that successive administrations have failed to build on the foundation he laid during his time in power, leading to setbacks for the country.
“More than anything else, such as changing our system of government or moving to a single term of six or four years, we must change our ways of doing things in this country; we must decarbonize our brains; we must change our mentality and characters,” Obasanjo stated.
He emphasized that Nigeria’s key need is to get its leadership right.
“The point is that if we get this right in about two and a half years, we shall get some of the challenges behind us, and in about 10 years, we will have a solid foundation, and in about 25 years, we will be there,” Obasanjo added.