 |
| ABUJA, NIGERIA |
A large number of
President Buhari's supporters converged at the Unity Fountain, Abuja where the
#IStandWithNigeria protest is ongoing.
 |
| LAGOS, NIGERIA |
The decision to stage the process has
been met with stiff opposition by the police who, repeatedly, told the
organisers to call off their planned action.
Popular musician, 2Face Idibia, who was
billed to lead the protest in Lagos, opted out at the eleventh hour citing
security concerns.
In Lagos, the protesters are expected
to march from National Stadium in Surulere to the National Theatre, Iganmu, a
distance of about four kilometres.
Yemi Adamolekun of the Enough is Enough
Nigeria said the group was not discouraged by the decision of Tuface Idibia to
back out of the protest.
Earlier, a heavy police presence at the
entrance to the National Stadium, Surulere, blocked sports men and women from
entering the stadium for their morning activities. The police officers had said
the stadium would be closed because of the protest.
But at 7:40am the gate of the stadium
was opened by the management of the stadium.
When Fatai Owoseni, the Lagos CP,
arrived, he denied authorising the blockade at the stadium.
“If you look towards the gate you will
see that the gates have been opened and our men are just controlling the flow
of traffic and people, and my men are all stationed to douse any kind of fear
from the minds of the protesters,” Mr. Owoseni said.
Olu Martins: “The approach is very
simple. It is to tell them that if people resolve, nothing can stop them. We
have resolved that Nigeria must change.
“We are here at the National Stadium,
that tells you the problem with Nigeria. From here we march to the National
Theatre, another national asset that is in shambles.”
This is a peaceful protest. For the
avoidance of doubt, let me say one more time, this is a peaceful protest.
Please follow instructions so that we can start well and end well.
Yemi Adamolekun: “We need to prove them
wrong. We have marshalls in reflector jackets. The police are here to protect
us.
“The fact that government wants to stop
the protest shows that protests are very important.”
'One Voice' --- An
Official Statement From The 2face Foundation
READ
THE STATEMENT BELOW...
On
behalf of Innocent "2Baba" Idibia, we would like to apologize to the
fans, colleagues and everyday Nigerians who feel let down by the cancellation
of this protest. 2Baba's aim was to lend his voice to make the government aware
of the growing discontent due to the wildly escalating cost of living for
Nigerians in Nigeria among other issues.
Arguably
one of the country's most influential musicians, he saw it fit to use his
considerable platform; at the core of which are Nigerians, to amplify their
voice. This is why he chose to march for the cause, and why he was so honoured
when his industry colleagues pledged their support.
In
line with the commitment of One Voice Nigeria to ensure a peaceful and
impactful protest, The 2face Foundation and partners engaged with the security
agencies to resolve all major security concerns but treacherous gaps remain that
we are unwilling to ignore.
The
risk of hijack by various political and sundry interests intent on using the
platform to drive agendas that we as The 2face Foundation are not aligned with
and therefore exposing protesters to high levels of danger is the main reason
why 2baba regretfully had to withdraw himself from the march. He has refused to
inadvertently present a platform for mischief makers to exploit.
2baba
would like to express his great regret over these circumstances to everyone who
feels disappointed. However, he hopes they will agree that as he said in the
video announcing the development; ‘no protest is worthy the blood of any
Nigerian’.
He
would also like to thank everyone; both individuals, and bodies like EiE which
offered their support to him, and applaud their devotion to the nation. The
primary objective of the planned protest as stated from the very beginning was
to aggregate the voices of the people and present to leadership at all levels
who may be unclear about the reality of the hardship faced by Nigerians.
We
have no doubt that we have articulated our demands and have been heard LOUD and
CLEAR. We urge a quick and positive response from government and encourage
Nigerians to take a cue from this experience and never hesitate to stand up to
the leadership on any and every situation that requires action. 2baba will
continue channel his passion for these issues using a range of effective
channels in the future.
He promises to continue
working on avenues to help the Nigerian people be heard, he feels that is the
least they deserve. This statement from The 2face Foundation is endorsed by
Innocent "2Baba" Idibia.
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