Plateau State residents on Tuesday snubbed the nationwide protests planned to commemorate the country’s 64th anniversary of independence.
The October 1, 2024 demonstration, dubbed “FearlessInOctober,” has seen enormous mobilisation, particularly on social media, in recent months.
There were fears that the Independence Day protests would follow in the footsteps of the August 1 EndBadGovernance in Nigeria protest in the state, in which disgruntled youths took to the streets of Jos, demanding an end to economic hardship as well as a reversal of the removal of petrol subsidies and an increase in electricity tariffs.
However, our correspondent, who was monitoring the situation in Jos on Tuesday, noticed that, while there were no protesters at the Secretariat junction or the Old Airport junction, where they usually gather before hitting the streets, security personnel were stationed at both locations.
It was also noted that major highways and streets were rather quiet, with little traffic, although shops and other small enterprises remained open.
Checks at major marketplaces such as Terminus, Satellite Market, and Bukuru Market revealed that the majority of companies were still operating, with only a few closed.
As of the time of reporting this report, there was no information on any protests taking place in the state.
When contacted, Solomon Dalung, a former Minister of Sports who spearheaded the last EndBadGovernance in Nigeria rally in Plateau, stated that they had decided to adjust their protest methods on October 1 because the situation in Plateau did not merit open rallies by protesters.
Dalung said, “It is not as if we do not want to protest in Plateau State on October 1, except that the context of the situation we have now and the previous one are not the same.
“So, you should not expect us to adopt the same method. But the truth is that the economic hardship and suffering experienced by Nigerians that warranted the EndBadGovernance in Nigeria protest have not changed as we speak, so you cannot say that Nigerians in Plateau have stopped protesting for those responsible for the situation to change it.
“So, we will continue to protest the bad situation we have in Nigeria until the people get relief, but the method of this protest should not be expected to be the same here in Plateau.”
