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Ohanaeze Ndigbo Urges South-East to Avoid Protests
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the leading Igbo socio-cultural organization, has urged South-East states to refrain from participating in nationwide protests scheduled for August 1-10, 2024. These protests, organized by various groups, aim to address the escalating living costs and hardships faced by Nigerians. Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, released a statement explaining the organization’s stance, citing historical instances where Igbo people have disproportionately suffered during major protests and riots.
Isiguzoro referred to events like the 1978 “ALI MUST GO” protests, the 1989 anti-SAP riots, the 1993 June 12 protests, the 2012 Occupy Nigeria protests, and the 2020 END SARS protests, highlighting significant losses of life and property for the Igbo community. The organization emphasized that the prevailing security challenges in the Southeast region make it impossible to conduct safe protests, and participation could exacerbate existing security issues, leading to further chaos.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo also expressed concerns that Igbos could once again be perceived as sacrificial lambs in the upcoming protests, urging Igbo residents in the northern states and the Southwest to boycott the protests for their safety. The organization stressed that the primary focus for the Southeast region should be the release of Nnamdi Kanu, rather than engaging in nationwide protests.
TV anchor Rufai Oseni makes headlines as he speaks on fuel subsidy in Nigeria. He shared that Nigeria can have fuel subsidy without the long queues at filling stations.
“When we were still paying subsidies, there were no long queues. We were subsidising. So you can still have a subsidy regime going on, and there will be no long queues because production was close by. Dangote had it. That’s just it. That argument also falls flat.
“The biggest beneficiaries of subsidy are not Nigerians. They are crony capitalists that have big infrastructure, and they do contracts. They have been the biggest beneficiaries of the subsidy,” he said.
Lagos State Governor, Sanwo-Olu, speaks to those in the electricity sector about the usual blackouts in the state.
He speaks on ways things can change in the state and how electricity can be provided.
“We need to drop corporate egos, abandon long-standing excuses, and confront the harsh realities obstructing progress in the power sector.”
“We, state governments, used to give excuses that everything is centralised, so the Federal Government has unbundled it now. What have we done in a year and a half?” Sanwo-Olu asked.
“We take two steps forward, we go five steps backward,” he said.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared Thursday, August 20, a work-free day for public servants in the state to mark the Isese Festival.
Speaking on the celebration, he said “Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” he said.
He added “When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” Aregbe said.
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