Protest broke out in Oyo State, South-West Nigeria, on Monday, over high cost of living, food inflation and the current economic hardship in the country.
Staged in the Mokola area of Ibadan, the state capital, placard-carrying youths in their droves chanted songs to drive home their points.
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Some of the placards have inscriptions such as ‘End food hike and inflation’, ‘The poor is starving’, ‘Tinubu, don’t forget your promises’, amongst others.
Armed policemen were seen at the protest scene even as demonstrators held the peaceful rally against the economic hardship in the land occasioned by the removal of petrol subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange windows.
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The police had on Sunday warned that no breach of peace would be allowed during any protest in the state.
The protest in Oyo followed others in Kano, Minna, amongst others, over economic hardship occasioned by petrol subsidy removal, food inflation, and high cost of living.
‘Go After Hoarders Of Food Items’
On Thursday, President Bola Tinubu ordered the National Security Adviser, (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu; the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun; and the Director General of the Department of State Service (DSS), Yusuf Bichi; to work with governors and go after those hoarding foodstuff.
The President, who met with governors of the 36 states in Abuja last week, also ruled out the importation of food items, adding that he won’t set up a price control board.
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”What I will not do is to set a price control board. I will not also approve the importation of food,” the President said.
“We should be able to get ourselves out of the situation we found ourselves in, because importation will allow rent seekers to perpetrate fraud and mismanagement at our collective expense. We would rather support farmers with the schemes that will make them go to the farm and grow more food for everyone in the country.
”We must also look at the rapid but thoughtful implementation of our livestock development and management plans, including dairy farming and others,” the President stated.
The President had also ordered the release of grains to ease the rising cost of food items but many Nigerians continue to express their displeasure over the economic hardship in the country.