The Take It Back Movement, one of the primary organisers of the #EndBadGovernance protest, said a one-million-man march across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja will be held today to culminate the 10-day mass movement.
The national coordinator of the movement, Sanyaolu Juwon, stated this in a statement in Abuja.
He said, “The Take It Back Movement (TIB), side-by-side with other organisers and organisations, 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.
“This event will mark a critical juncture in our nationwide End Bad Government in Nigeria campaign, which began on August 1, 2024.
“It started as a planned 10-day protest but has evolved into a sustained and widespread movement, drawing participants from every corner of Nigeria and the diaspora.”
Chronicle NG reports that the protest, which aimed at drawing the attention of the governments at all levels to the hardship bedevilling the citizens, commenced on August 1 and is expected to end on Saturday, August 10.
Despite being hijacked by criminal forces, the demonstration saw a big attendance across the country, particularly in the northern states.
Despite President Bola Tinubu’s call in a countrywide broadcast on Sunday for demonstrators to back down and allow his administration more time, the protests persisted in Abuja, Rivers, Lagos, and other regions of the country.
Meanwhile, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has stated that Nigerian youths engaging in the ongoing nationwide rallies under the hashtag #EndBadGovernance are fighting for a genuine cause and need to be heard.
“What the youth (protesters) are demanding is very legitimate and should be listened to, or 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 spoke yesterday at his home in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while receiving six members of the House of Representatives who are co-sponsors of bills proposing a single-term, six-year rotational presidency between the North and South, as well as the rotation of governorship slots among each of the 36 states’ three senatorial districts.
Ugochinyere Ikenga, who represents the Ideato North and Ideato South Federal Constituencies in Imo State, led the parliamentarians.
In his speech, Obasanjo expressed sorrow that previous administrations have failed to build on the foundation he set while in power, citing numerous negative consequences for the country.
He said, “More than anything else, such as changing our system of government, moving to a single term of six or four years; we must change our ways of doing things in this country; we must decarbonise our brains; we must change our mentality and characters.
“How I wish that the succeeding governments are building on the foundation we laid even if not so fast as one would have wanted it, but sadly the blocks we put there are even being removed.”
Obasanjo stated that what Nigeria needs is to get 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 gotten a solid foundation, and in about 25 years, we will be there,” he added.
