Ayobami Agboola 
…As Banks, markets, offices and Businesses closed down in the state capital
Some residents of Osun State on Thursday stormed the streets of Osogbo, the capital of the state in protest against hunger and hardship in the country.
The protesters, under the aegis of the Coalition of Concerned Nigerian Citizens, marched through major streets of the capital city.
Apart from Osogbo, the state capital, the protest was also held in Ile-Ife, the host community of the Obafemi Awolowo University.
While chanting solidarity songs to drive home their messages, the protesters, mostly youths, carried banners bearing varying inscriptions.
They called on the Federal Government to address myriads of challenges confronting the nation.
Some of the inscriptions on their banners and placards read, “We want food price control with immediate effect,” “Revert fuel price to Pre-May 29, 2023 price,” and “Local Government is the key to national and economic development,” among others.
They moved from Old Garage to Olaiya as security operatives accompanied them while ensuring there was no breakdown of law and order.
Speaking, the coordinator of the Coalition of Concerned Nigerian Citizens, Comrade Ajala Adetunji called for the reinstatement of a corruption-free subsidy regime to reduce hunger, starvation and multidimensional poverty.
Adetunji said: “Hunger, poverty and bad policy that is affecting all of us. We are here not because of any political affiliation, not because anybody is given a dime, what we have seen is a function of the people and the community that we belong to.
“The youth population is the largest population and they are the ones suffering most. The office of the citizen is the highest office in the land.
“We are not afraid of anybody. What we have come to do is to exercise our rights. According to the constitution of Nigeria, we are here to establish what we are going through. Many people are saying we should not come out. Why are they saying that?
“What we are fighting for is for the people. The petrol price is N800 today. It is not a question of either APC or PDP. What we are going through in this country is affecting everybody.
“Tinubu should review the by-policies. We are hungry. The protest is going to last for ten days. We are going to review our own in Osun because of the Osun-Osogbo festival”.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Committee for Defense of Human Rights (CDHR) Emmanuel Olowu noted that it was high time for the federal government to probe past and present Nigeria leaders who have looted the Treasury, recover their loot, and deposit it in a special account to fund education, healthcare, and Infrastructure.
According to Olowu, the government should endeavour to embark on massive investment in public works and industrialization that will help employ Nigeria’s teeming Youths.
He called for investment in education and gave Nigerian students grants, not loans to aggressively pursue free and compulsory education for children across Nigeria.
Meanwhile, apart from commercial activities that were grounded, security personnel were on ground to sustain peace and security of life and property as the protest was done in a peaceful manner.
