The nationwide protests, which entered their second day on Friday, will persist until President Bola Tinubu responds to the demonstrators’ demands.
Damilare Adenola, Director of Mobilisation for the Take It Back Movement, confirmed this on Channels Television’s The August Protests. He clarified that human rights lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa does not represent their group, despite Adegboruwa seeking protection for them from security forces before the protests began. Adenola stressed that their planned 10-day protest will proceed as scheduled, even though Adegboruwa recommended calling it off due to concerns about disruptions by infiltrators.
Adenola indicated that the protests might extend beyond 10 days based on the government’s response. He noted, “Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa is not our lawyer and does not speak on our behalf. We are awaiting the government’s response to our demands; the protests will continue until then.” He added that the protests have shown Nigerians they can hold their leaders accountable and dismissed claims that the demonstrations are funded by external sources, attributing them instead to widespread hunger and economic hardship.
The Federal Government’s inaction was criticized, with Adenola suggesting that if they genuinely cared about the people’s suffering, the President would have already addressed the protesters’ concerns.
During the first two days of the protests, police used tear gas to disperse mainly young demonstrators, drawing condemnation from civil society groups. Some individuals took advantage of the situation to loot, prompting curfews in several states, including Kano, Borno, Yobe, Katsina, Nasarawa, and Jigawa, to prevent further violence.
Amnesty International reported fatalities, and Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun stated that a police officer was killed, several were injured, and police stations were set on fire.
Launched on social media on August 1, 2024, the protests are set to last until August 10 across all states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
They were ignited by rising food prices and basic commodities, worsened by the government’s removal of petrol subsidies and forex unification, contributing to a severe inflation rate in Nigeria.
The protesters are demanding the reinstatement of petrol subsidies and the previous forex system, action on food shortages, unemployment, and governmental overspending, as well as reductions in the President’s cabinet and the cost of governance, reforms to the electoral body INEC and anti-corruption agency EFCC, and stronger measures against corrupt officials.
