Politics

PHOTOS: Nigerians in the UK Start #EndBadGovernance Protest in London, Call for Reform

Published by Tope Fakinlede on August 1st, 2024.

PHOTOS: Nigerians in the UK Start #EndBadGovernance Protest in London, Call for Reform

Nigerians residing in the UK have initiated the #EndBadGovernance protest in London, setting the stage for similar demonstrations across Nigeria from August 1 to 10.

On Wednesday, protesters gathered outside the Nigerian High Commission in London, brandishing signs with messages such as “Nigeria’s economy at an all-time low,” “Nigeria needs saving,” and “Protect citizens’ rights” to express their dissatisfaction with the country’s governance and demand reform.

Omoyele Sowore, the leader of the #RevolutionNow movement, has outlined a set of demands for President Bola Tinubu’s administration, intended to address Nigeria’s governance issues. These demands, shared on Sowore’s social media, reflect contributions from participants in the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria campaign.

The demands include:

– Replacing the 1999 Constitution with a new, people-crafted constitution through a Sovereign National Conference, followed by a National Referendum.
– Abolishing the Senate while retaining the House of Representatives, and making lawmaking a part-time role.
– Increasing the minimum wage for Nigerian workers to at least N250,000 per month.
– Significantly investing in education and providing grants rather than loans for students, with a focus on free and compulsory education for children throughout Nigeria.
– Unconditionally releasing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and demilitarizing the South East region.
– Renationalizing public enterprises that have been sold to government officials and their associates.
– Reintroducing a subsidy regime that is free from corruption to alleviate hunger, starvation, and multidimensional poverty.
– Investigating both past and current Nigerian leaders who have embezzled funds, recovering the stolen money, and using it to finance education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
– Restructuring Nigeria to better reflect its diversity, control resources, decentralize power, and promote regional development.