Protesters Gather at Ojota Despite Tinubu’s Address Under the hashtag #EndBadGovernance

Despite President Bola Tinubu’s nationwide broadcast, the #EndBadGovernance demonstrators have gathered at Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota on Monday to resume their demonstration.

The organizers of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria organizing committee, Hassan Taiwo, Ayoyinka Oni, and Adegboyega Adeniji, issued a statement on Sunday stating that President Bola Tinubu’s speech had not yet addressed their requests. This led to the decision to proceed with the pretest.

They declared that they had listened intently to President Tinubu’s Sunday broadcast and that they “consider it rather unfortunate” that the president had to address the nation after three days of protest.

In the national broadcast on Sunday, Tinubu declared that he had heard the protesters’ cries “loud and clear” and that his administration was prepared to hear them out and solve their problems.

“I have always agreed to dialogue at the first chance, and I hereby enjoin demonstrators and the organizers to suspend any further protest,” the president declared.

The choice to address the nation was deemed a “important victory for our movement,” according to the organizers.

Even this appreciation would not have taken place if we hadn’t had the bravery and will to face the challenges. The statement said, “So far, we have shown that a President is not greater than the rest of the country.”

They acknowledged Tinubu’s offer of communication but expressed concern that the President had also issued an order to halt the demonstration in the same scope.

We believe that the president cannot be both praising and criticizing at the same time. The three stated, “The President cannot hold a knife to our throat and at the same time extend an olive branch.

The incident “where thugs attacked protesters who had gathered for Sunday morning worship thereby injuring many” was denounced in the statement.

“Therefore, we therefore call on all Nigerian youth and the mass of the people to join us tomorrow (Monday), August 5, 2024, which is Day 5 of the protest, at Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota, Lagos, by 7 am,” the statement continued.

The state administration had declared the protest in Lagos to be peaceful, but Channels TV recorded footage on Sunday that appeared to show demonstrators being pursued by thugs at Ojota just hours after the President’s speech.