The ongoing nationwide protest was meant to bring an end to hardship and hunger in the land, but in the process some unknown people use it to their advantage by bugling and stealing from shops, under such chaos innocent people were killed, properties worth billions of naira destroyed and hundreds of phones were snatched all in the name of peaceful protest against bad governance.
Like in Gombe, destruction and stealing of public and private properties are also recorded in several states including Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Bauchi and Zamfara among others.
However, this is not best way to conduct a peaceful protest to attract the attention of those in the corridors of power to address the flights of the majority. Because you cannot vandalise people’s property in the name of conducting a protest and expect a positive results.
Now the big question is, are we fighting for hardship or looking for a way to feed ourselves by bugling shops and taking people’s property by force? Most victims now have to start from scratch in order recover what they have lost and by extension sustain their businesses. And for those that have lost their lives during the protests, their families are left in mourning.
A lot of people have been negatively affected by the nationwide hardship protest. The students for instance, have suspended their exams, lectures and other academic activities all because of the protest, but ended up looting shops and vandalizing both public and private properties.
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The protest which is scheduled to take place from August 1, is expected to last for 10 days nationwide, to ensure justice in the country and an end to the current economic hardship, which made it difficult for people to eat three square meals.
However, based on our experienced in the last four days, it is high time for the protest to be suspended and the organisers to embrace dialogue as suggested by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his nationwide broadcast, as an alternative to the current avoidable destructions.
The essence of embarking on the nationwide protest is to let those in authority know that people are really suffering with hunger. Most students now don’t have foodstuffs, no upkeep money from their parents because the situation is beyond imagination and students are in exams period and they sometimes find it difficult to eat even one square meal a day.
Although people are in hardship and the whole country are feeling the heat, violent protest is not the answer to that, as it will only aggravate the situation. However, should the protesters choose to continue, let it be peaceful and conducted in such a civil manner that will bring the desired change.
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But I believe the message has been passed, it is now time to allow the leaders to take urgent action to bring succour to us.
Mary Samuel Usman wrote from the Department of Mass Communication, Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State. She can be reach on [email protected]
