Some civil society organisations (CSOs) under the aegis of #EndBadGovernance Movement, have declared October 1, 2024 as a ‘National Day of Survival’, to protest the prevailing economic hardship sweeping through the country.

In a statement issued during a press conference at the International Press Centre in Lagos on Thursday, Hassan Soweto, national coordinator of the Education Rights Campaign (ERC), called on Nigerians to engage in peaceful protests nationwide against “anti-poor policies”.

The statement was jointly signed by the Education Rights Campaign (ERC), Movement for Fundamental Change (MFC), Youth Rights Campaign (YRC), Joint Action Front (JAF), and Pan-African Consciousness Renaissance (PACOR-Nigeria).

The movement cited the lack of action from the federal government despite the #EndBadGovernance protests of August.

They said the protest aims to address grievances surrounding the fuel price hike, rising food costs, and the impact of inflation on the livelihoods of ordinary Nigerians.

They criticised President Bola Tinubu’s government for “exacerbating poverty and hardship”.

The movement accused the administration of pursuing policies that disproportionately affect the poor, resulting in mass unemployment, inflation, and food insecurity.

‘ANOTHER JOURNEY’

“We invite you on another journey to redeem our nation as we continue to stand against the anti-poor policies of this regime,” the statement reads.

“As is obvious to everyone, none of the demands of our ten days of rage in August has been met.

“Rather, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu simply went ahead to use our national treasury to procure luxury cars, aircraft, and other luxuries for himself and the first family without caring a hoot about the plea of hungry Nigerians.

“To show the absolute disdain that the Federal Government holds for the people, Tinubu has gone ahead to now unleash on the Nigerian another round of hike in fuel price earlier this month.

“As we speak, the price of fuel hovers between N900 per litre to N1900 per litre depending on which parts of the country you are.

“Meanwhile, less than two years ago, a liter of fuel did not cost more than N200 per litre. This is outrageous. This is intolerable. As a direct consequence of this increment, life has become unbearable for many Nigerian people.

“Many are starving as the increase in fuel price has also impacted food prices. Inflation has rendered the N70,000 new National Minimum Wage irrelevant and incapable of bringing any relief to Nigerian workers.

“At the same time, the sharp rise in the cost of imported goods has rendered traders and shopkeepers redundant as shops are overflowing with goods that no one is ready to buy.

“The situation has also affected businesses and industries. Nothing less than ten multinational firms have left the shores of Nigeria between May last year, leading to even more job losses.

“Based on the foregoing, we of the #EndBadGovernance Movement have decided to declare October 1st, 2024, as ‘National Day of Survival’.”

They demanded for the unconditional release of Adaramoye Michael Lenin, Mosiu Sodiq, Daniel Akande, and all #EndBadGovernance protesters, activists, journalists, and whistleblowers.

“On this day, we call on the Nigerian people, workers, students, youth, the unemployed, traders, and the poor to come out in peaceful protest and demonstrations against the excruciating condition of hardship, poverty, and hunger imposed on us by President Tinubu’s decision to implement IMF/World Bank-inspired anti-poor capitalist policies of fuel price hike, electricity tariff hike, school fees hike, and naira devaluation,” the statement adds.

“We also call on the Nigerian people to utilize this day to demand with one voice the immediate and unconditional release of all #EndSARS and #EndBadGovernance protesters in police and prison custody, as well as freedom for detained journalists, whistleblowers, activists, and all victims of state repression.”

The groups added that this year’s Independence Day, traditionally marked with celebrations, holds no significance given the current economic conditions.

“Rather than celebrate, October 1st should be a day to fight for the survival of democratic rights and the dignity of the Nigerian people,” they added.

Their demands include reversing the fuel price hike, reducing food prices, addressing insecurity, and implementing a N70,000 minimum wage across all sectors.

They also called for the prosecution of corrupt politicians and massive investment in public infrastructure to create jobs.

POLICE PROTECTION

The movement also called for electoral reform, including independent candidacy and diaspora voting.

They noted that in Lagos, the protest will commence at Ikeja under bridge at 7:30am, with participants marching through various streets to raise awareness.

They also asked Olanrewaju Ishola, Lagos state commissioner of police, to provide adequate security for participants in line with the Police Establishment Act 2020.

“By this announcement, we inform the Commissioner of Police of our planned October action and remind the Police of their obligation under Section 83 (4) of the Police Establishment Act 2020 to provide adequate security for citizens participating in public meetings, rallies, and protests,” they said.

“This action serves as a warning and urgent cry for the Tinubu administration to address our demands immediately. If our demands are not met, more protests will follow the National Day of Survival.”

The phone line of the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, has been hacked, according to a disclaimer issued on his official X account on Thursday.

In the post, Mamman warned the public to avoid communicating through the affected number.

“My phone line has been compromised. Please refrain from calling the number and ignore any messages requesting assistance until the issue is resolved.

“Thank you for your understanding,” he wrote on X.com.

The Ministry of Education has also confirmed the breach.

In a statement issued Friday by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, the ministry disclosed that the compromised line is being used by unauthorised individuals.

The statement read, “The Office of the Honourable Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, wishes to inform the general public that the Minister’s WhatsApp number has been hacked and is currently being used by unauthorised individuals.

“We deeply regret any inconvenience this may cause and urge everyone to disregard any message of request received from the said number until further notice.

“The matter has been reported to the relevant authorities and is under investigation. We advise all members of the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.”

Jamilu Abdullahi, a bureau de change (BDC) operator in Abuja, has testified in the ongoing trial of Ali Bello, a nephew of Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi state.

Ali alongside Abba Daudu, Yakubu Adabenege, and Iyada Sadat are facing trial on 18-count charge of money laundering and misappropriation to the tune of over N3 billion.

Abdullahi appeared before Obiora Egwuatu, a judge at the federal high court in Abuja, to give his evidence on Thursday.

In a statement after the trial, Dele Oyewale, EFCC spokesperson, said Abdullahi received $300,000 in cash from Daudu for the payment of the school fees for the former Kogi governor’s children.

The BDC operator said money was transferred to his companies’ accounts — Kunfayakun and E-Traders International Limited — on several occasions for the payment of school fees.

Abdullah said he paid the money into the account of American International School (AIS), according to the statement.

“Abba Daudu called me to say that they have a transaction though it was on the weekend, but I drove down to the office and waited for them to come. Upon their arrival, three of them came,” Abdullahi was quoted as saying.

”One of them stayed in the car with the driver, two of them walked to my office, and a friend of Abba Daudu was holding a black leather bag containing $300,000.

“Upon entering, he greeted, and Abba Daudu introduced him as his friend and business partner, saying he had a transaction. He dropped $300,000 in cash. I wanted to count the dollars before they left, but I could not due to the power outage.

“I told him I could not use my hands and needed to confirm that it was $300,000, so I locked the dollars in my office safe, and two of them left. Then, Abba Daudu’s friend said when I confirmed the sum, details would be forwarded to me for payment. However, the sum of $300,000 attracts some service charges which he said I should calculate and let Abba Daudu know.

“After I completed the transfer, I forwarded four receipts, indicating $75,000 four times to Abba Daudu, and he confirmed to me that the payment was confirmed successfully.”

“Yes, I know the transactions of $75,000, being paid to the school four times totalling, the sum of $300,000 as forwarded by Abba Daudu and further confirmed that the fees were paid for one of Yahaya Bello’s daughters and the name of the recipient is Naima Ohunene Bello.”

Oyewale said the BDC operator also narrated how he received money, in installments, from the former Kogi governor.

“I received the sum of N100 million on the 15th December 2021 from Keyless Nature. On the 17th December, 2021, I received N400 million.

“Meanwhile on the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, December 2021, I received N100 million. On the 22nd December 2021, I received the sum of N100 million only. On the 23rd December 2021, I received N35 million.

“I also received payment from Remita International in the sum of N40 million on 12th December, 2021, and there was an entry of N33 million on the 17th of December 2021. On the 7th February 2022, I confirmed the receipt of N90 million from Keyless Nature.”

After the witness’ testimony, A.M Aliyu, counsel to Ali, did not conduct his cross examination but asked the court for an adjournment to enable him to understand the figures reeled out.

Nurain Jimoh, counsel to the second, third, and fourth defendants, supported the request of Aliyu.

However, Rotimi Oyedepo, the prosecution counsel, objected to the adjournment on the account that the witness had been in the dock since February 6, 2023.

Egwuatu adjourned the matter to October 25, 2024, and November 5 and 6, 2024, for the continuation of the trial.