Human rights groups, the Joint Action Front, and the Coalition for Revolution organized a protest in Lagos State against the rising cost of food and the high cost of living in Nigeria. The protest took place despite a warning from the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, who assured that necessary measures would be put in place to ensure the safety of lives and property and that the free flow of traffic would not be hindered.
Protesters were seen carrying placards with various inscriptions at the Ojuelegba under the bridge area, expressing their grievances about the current economic challenges in the country. The National Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, Juwon Sanyaolu, part of the coalition, highlighted that the protest aimed to demonstrate the people’s will against oppressive tendencies and hardships.
Despite attempts by the police to discourage the protest, the demonstrators marched from Yaba Labour House to Maryland. Sanyaolu stated that the protest would continue, and they would join the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in their nationwide mass action to address the hardships imposed by the ruling elite.
The demands of the protesters include an immediate reversal of the fuel subsidy removal, the floating of the naira, and other policies imposed on Nigerians by international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund. Police officers and officers of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps were observed following the protesters during the demonstration.
