Occupy Nigeria Protests Day 4 - Updates From Across the Nation

- Reports from Ilorin indicate that the Geri Alimi roundabout is burning right now (pictures below). The people went on rampage when Soldiers were mobilized to guard a petrol station (NNPC/SULU OLOJE) along Asa-dam road.

Protest Day 4: Geri Alimi Roundabout Illorin

Protest Day 4:Geri Alimi Roundabout Illorin

- Tens of thousands are gathered at the Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota, Lagos (pictures below) chanting anti-government slogans and singing solidarity anthems. Clarion Chukwura, Tunde Kelani, Tunde Bakare, Tony Tetuila, Ochuwa Ubani, wife of Late Chima Ubani have all mounted the podium.

Protest Day 4: Rally at Gani Park, Ojota

Protest Day 4: Rally at Gani Park, Ojota

- Protest is ongoing in Kano today, with massive turnout of women (pictures below). Two top Kano politicians, Gen. Lawal Jafaru Isa and the immediate past Deputy Governor of the state, Abdullahi Tijjani Muhammad Gwarzo, joined a mammoth crowd at the historic Groundnut Pyramid, venue of yesterday’s rally to protest, in the state.

 

Day 4: Protesters in Kano

  

Day 3: Kano protest



Day 3: Kano women protest

 - Protest at the NTA Headquarters, Victoria Island, Lagos. The people are protesting "unfair" and "imbalance" reporting by the government run media. Pat Utomi just addressed the crowd at the premises, debunking the many lies of Jonathan's govenment.

Day 4: Protest at NTA Headquaters VI, Lagos

- In Abuja, protesters marched through the popular Nnamdi Azikiwe Express Way and converged on Area 1, Garki Junction. Buoyed by the mammoth crowd, some of the key figures of the struggle warned the Federal Government to heed the voice of reason and reverse its decision on fuel subsidy.

- Reports coming from Ibadan, Oyo State, indicate that there is a rally at Idi-Odo Challenge. Speakers after another have mounted the podium, urging the people of the state to be united in their opposition to the subsidy removal.

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- Reports from Enugu State indicate that members of organised labour and civil society organisations who attempted to protest clashed with the police at the entrance of the state secretariat of the NLC.



- Protest in Lokoja, Kogi State turned violent as protesters clashed with the police, leaving a boy and a police officer badly injured.

 

Updates From Abroad

- Nigerians in Ireland are to hold a peace rally, to be staged in front of the Nigerian Embassy in Dublin tomorrow, January 13, at 11.00 a.m. The Irish Deputy Minister will be at the occupyNigeria protests in Dublin tomorrow to address Nigerians as a show of solidarity.

- Reports indicate that Occupy Nigeria protesters are gathered in front of Nigeria Embassy, Brussel, Belgium (find picture below)

Day 4: A protester in Brussel





Community Enforcements of Occupy Nigeria

ABIJO Joins the fray 
Reports just coming from Abijo area, after Ajah in Ibeju Lekki Local Government Area  of Lagos state shows that the community has joined the Occupy Nigeria Protest. Abijo case is a communal effort aimed at  making the voice of Nigerians heard. Though a detachment of the Nigerian Police Force is stationed at the location where enforcement is being carried out, they have remained civil and non-violent in their approach. The Abijo people themselves are consistently encouraging one another on the need to keep the struggle for emancipation on.
We have also received a report of a minor car accident at the enforcement spot due to an oncoming car ramming into another stationary vehicle. No lives were lost.
Pictures to follow.

Agbado Ijaiye Community show solidarity
In similar vein, Meiran, Ijaiye, and other surrounding community on the ever busy Lagos Abeokuta express way have also joined millions of Nigerians to show their displeasure on the state of management of the Nigerian State.
We noticed that while most of the communities on the way to the toll gate have stationed persons on discussing or sharing ideas on the petrol subsidy imbroglio, at the Ojokoro Low Cost Housing Estate, there is a mini carnival going on to with revolutionary music from the legendary Fela and his contemporaries being blasted. Though a collection of youths attempted to block the highway some meters from the  one of such locations for their own end, the men of the Nigerian Police Force and fellow protesters were seen dismantling the road block and encouraging the protesters to remain civil and not to take the law into their hands.

Reports from other areas will soon follow.


A new Dawn 
The impact of the present impasse on the Nigerian state is massive, aside the economic realities that plagues Government and private investors as well as self employed citizens, it is clear from the message out there on the street that this protest is owned by the Nigerian people and they are doing their bits to keep it alive. It is unprecedented for a Nigerian Strike to go on for Four (4) days with no end in sight and the strength of the mass growing by the day. It remains to be seen if the Nigerian Government who sources tell us are waiting for the will of the people to be dampened will not give in.

Join us to bring accountability to government, support the Occupy Nigeria Protest wherever you are and remember to stay focused on the goal, do not allow any fifth columnist to derail this process. Remain Non-violent, together we can win.

The Stirring upon the Niger.

For years now, one has wondered if the sleeping giant will ever be awoken. Will this hornet ever be quickened. It once seemed that no matter the level of provocation, these people were doomed to be quiet. Very understanding and never driven to act. Even when in other climes the horizon was replict with the push for change, this land stayed faithful to itself - 'the happiest people on earth', a people who smile even while suffering. Yet like the Biblical saying that upon Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, this same docile people have arisen from a deep sleep. They have chosen to take their destiny in their own hands. Though condemned to silence, they roar in unison, seeking a new meaning, pursuing the very reason that has kept them down. The green fields of Nigeria has arisen from the long wait for freedom, the freedom drum rings loud from the sahara fields in the North to the arable lands of the south. That Nigerians can stay this long united on a purpose that all has predicted to fail is kuddles to the Nigerian spirit. The resilence of this people has found voice in the call for a better deal in a land where many cry for food whilst there is plenty. The sad story of the Nigerian nation lies in the fact that though the signs over the place shows a nation richly endowned, the land has failed to see progress. The crux of the matter has remained that those that have elected to govern over this country has made themselves lord of the manor, whose intent and content must never be questioned. Using a multiple of tactics that bothers on impoverishing the mass, the Nigerian child has come to know that all that leadership represents is deceit founded on ineptitude. The sort of happenings in the land has often left one to wonder how and where our people find the capacity to excel in their various endeavours, because they have no where to draw inspiration from. The nation has stayed on a bleak and dangerous divide that has suited the powers in the land such that rather than question the rot that pervades every part of our nationhood, we have often chosen to stay aloft. Yet, today, the land is green.

The fertile lands of Nigeria is today home to a stirring that has never being known to be attainable in these climes. The rugged resolve of the folks in Kano, who despite being cowed have refused to submit to the dictates of the oppressor and their subject remains a new vista in progressive engagement. The emergence of an Abuja people who no longer find comfort in the confines of their beautiful homes is so beautiful to watch. Going down to the City of Ilorin, one wonders where this people found their voice again, even when their land witnessed the first matyr of this struggle of emancipation, trully this wariors have chosen to be counted. Is it the Edo people, or the Priest led invasion in Ekiti and Enugu or the resolute stand of the Kaduna, sokoto and Bauchi people? Is it the campers in Lagos that has given vent to the lives of the Gani's, Beko, anf Fela of our land. Nigeria has never had it this good. For everywhere in Nigeria, we see a new thing, a new thinking, a new dawn - for indeed the Niger area is risen. Yes, like the rising sun, we have all chosen to be counted.

The stirring has began, we have chosen this path to win our nation back. We has elected to ask the right questions. There is no turning back, there is no other course to take. this stirring is will be furnished by our desire for change, a change we believe in, a change whose time has come

- A story we will write with the last of our blood. This is our story, the song of a people risen from slumber. We are on a mission, and our fatherland is the target. No more shall we ask 'How Long?' No need shall we retort 'not long' for today in the midst of the Niger, our life is being re-written by the blood that has been felled by the weapon of those who are supposed to lead us.

Yes by the impossibility of the sacrifice we alone are called to make while they live in splendour, hmmm, the land is green, fertile for a new beginning. The soil is moist, wetted by the resolve of a people who have chosen the path of honour. We are hungry - and the only food we want is good and responsible governance.

The Niger is stirred!!!!

The fuel subsidy crisis has woken Nigerians up

These protests are not just about being unable to afford fuel. People have had enough of wasteful and corrupt leadership

Nigerians in Port Harcourt protest about the withdrawal of the fuel subsidies. Photograph: Str/AFP/Getty Images

Tolu Ogunlesi

guardian.co.uk, Wed 11 Jan 2012 10.10 GMT

Comment

I remember watching Goodluck Jonathan's speech at the start of his re-election campaign on 18 September, 2010. He promised change: "Let the word go out from this Eagle Square that Jonathan as president in 2011 will herald a new era of transformation of our country." The canoe-carver's son who became deputy governor, governor, vice-president and then president, without ever hustling for power, wowed us all with stories of his humble beginnings (a shoeless childhood, studying by the light of kerosene lanterns), his humility, and his seeming accessibility (via Facebook). But that was then.

Today he seems bent on recreating all the obstacles he faced all those decades ago; eager to ensure that as many Nigerians as possible study with lanterns and survive on a single meal a day. How is he doing this? By hurting the most vulnerable using one of the most ubiquitous items in the land: petrol.

A fuel price increase – and the associated increase in the price of commodities – has sparked nationwide #OccupyNigeriaprotests, driven largely by young people mobilising themselves via social media, mobile phones and word-of-mouth.

Nigeria is a crude-oil producing and exporting country, full of poor people – 70% of the population survives on less than $2 a day. These citizens consume more petrol than is necessary because Nigeria has consistently failed to produce enough electricity for its 150 million citizens (South Africa, with 50 million people, produces 10 times as much electricity as Nigeria), leaving much of the population dependent on petrol-guzzling Chinese generators to keep the lights on.

It gets worse. The country is largely unable to refine crude oil as all four refineries operate at an average of 23% of their potential capacity, and it has to import most of its fuel needs. Controlling the price of petrol has, therefore, been the easiest way to ensure that Nigerians enjoy the benefits of the crude oil they produce. The subsidy system works this way: the government pays importers to ensure prices are kept reasonably low, well below the cost of importation.

But over time corruption has crept into the system, and dubious importers have found ways of inflating their receipts. Between January and October 2011, the government claims to have spent 1.3 trillion naira (about $8bn) on subsidies, instead of the budgeted N248bn. The government has admitted the existence of a cartel, but has done nothing to confront or expose it. The only solution, they've argued, is to scrap the entire subsidy, the only thing that resembles welfare in a land teeming with poor people.

Over the last couple of weeks Jonathan has been meeting with labour, civil society, and youth groups, ostensibly engaged in a dialogue. In reality he has only been buying time for the implementation of a policy he and his advisers had made up their minds about a long time ago. The government is outraged by the cost of the subsidy, but not by the corruption responsible, or the fact that we have to depend on imports to meet almost all of our fuel needs. And if all the hundreds of billions of dollars of the last decade (annual budgets of about $25bn) have not improved our roads and schools and hospitals, is it this $8bn that will bring transformation?

At the root of the opposition is a trust deficit. So for Enough is Enough Nigeriaand most Nigerians, the conversation is not merely about the fuel subsidy, but about a wasteful and corrupt leadership, given to making false promises and asking citizens to sacrifice for a better future. The message to President Jonathan and his government is simple: earn our trust with the trillions you already have in your possession, then we can, and will, wholeheartedly hand over this subsidy trillion to you.

Unfortunately for the president, his decision could not have come at a worse time. With inspiration from the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt and the power of social media, more people than ever before in Nigeria are aware of and angered by the corruption in the system. Never before in the country's history have ordinary citizens been inspired to discuss budget items line by line. The questions are mounting. For example, how can N1bn ($6.25m) be allocated tothe president and vice-president's catering budget, in a country stalked by hunger?

The target of the protests is a system constructed to oppress the poor and protect wealthy criminals. Every day since 2 January, the day after the fuel price increases, protesters have been assembling across several Nigerian states, marching and sharing their messages. And in many cases, enduring police harassment.

Young Nigerians are waking up and realising that we are where we are today because previous governments – maintainers of the corrupt system – were hardly ever seriously challenged, or rigorously questioned.

Now, having woken up, we will not be going back to sleep.

Occupy Nigeria Protests in Pictures

Occupy Nigeria - Day 3: Kano Protest

Occupy Nigeria- Day3: Ojota Protest

Occupy Nigeria - Ojota: Day 3

Occupy Nigeria - Abuja: Day 3

Occupy Nigeria-Abuja: Day 3

Occupy Nigeria - Day 3: Kano protest

Occupy Nigeria Day 3: Kano Protest

Occupy Nigeria - Day 3:Old women protesting in Kano

Should Our Martyrs Die in Vain?

As the Occupy Nigeria protests against fuel subsidy removal by the Federal Government of President Goodluck Jonathan enter its tenth day today, the Nigerian Red Cross has confirmed that 16 people have been killed and 205 injured so far. The figure includes the following casualties, also confirmed by the Nigerian Red Cross:

·     - Muyideen Mustafa, 23-year-old student, hit by a police bullet in Ilorin, Kwara State on 3 January 2012.

·     - Ademola Aderinde was tortured and killed by the police at Ogba, Lagos State on 9 January 2012.  Clashed between protesters and the police in Lagos have so far resulted in seven injuries and three deaths in total.

·      - Thursday, 5 January 2012, three people were killed and 55 injured when battalions of the Nigerian Mobile Police moved in on non-violent Occupy Nigeria protesters in Kano after the group began an Egyptian-style Tahrir Square occupation of the Silver Jubilee Square.

·      - One person was killed and three injured in Kaduna on the 10 January 2012 when police used tear gas to try to disperse protesters, mostly almajiris and little children, gathered in front of the government house.

       - In Maiduguri, six people have been killed by police bullets

-    We make bold to state that Nigerians will hold President Goodluck Jonathan personally responsible for the lives of these Nigerians that have been taken by Policemen to defend his illegal decision to remove subsidy on petrol.