Youths in Osun State have stormed the streets to protest the high cost of goods and services in the country.
The youngsters were led by leaders of civil society organisations in the state on Friday in Osogbo and urged the federal and state governments to save the country from imminent collapse.
The protesters defied the heavy presence of police operatives near the scene of the protest as they assembled along MDS Road, Osogbo, very early on Friday.
They were armed with placards bearing different inscriptions such as ‘change the unfavourable policies’, ‘Nigerians are suffering, we can’t cope again’, and ‘We are humans, stop mistreating the citizens’, among others.
The chairman, Osun Civil Societies Coalition, Waheed Lawal, said the protest would continue until the Federal Government thinks out solutions to the current economic hardship ravaging the country.
In his words, “Government must ameliorate the suffering of the people. They must do whatever they need to do to make sure that the people live in better conditions.
“Nigerians deserve the best. They promised us renewed hope but what they are giving us now is renewed hardship. We reject renewed hardship in our lives, and in our economy because Nigerians deserve the best.
“What Nigerians want is a peaceful atmosphere. We don’t want insecurity in our land again. We can’t travel from Osogbo to Ibadan without panicking. You will be thinking that they will kidnap you.
“The abduction of monarchs is the order of the day in our country now. We urge the government to provide security for the lives and property of the citizens. It is their responsibility, it is a constitutional responsibility.
“Every government that fails to provide security for the lives of the citizens is no longer a government. What we are saying is simple, we are ready to face the government in this hardship and we are marathon runners.
“We have started this struggle today and if the government fails to listen to us, we will continue to mobilise our people to protest this hardship because enough is enough.”
