Sowore said this ahead of the fifth day of the protests on Monday, August 5, 2024. Omoyele Sowore, Convener of #RevolutionNow Movement has called for a total shutdown of all socio-economic sectors in Nigeria amid the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protests......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
Sowore said this ahead of the fifth day of the protests on Monday, August 5, 2024.
The activist, who said this while speaking on a Morning Show Program on News Central TV on Sunday, appealed to Nigerian workers and transporters to stay away from work and join the protest against bad governance in the country.
He also berated the speech delivered by President Bola Tinubu on Sunday morning over the ongoing nationwide protests.
The former African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate said the President did not address any of the demands of the protesters and as a result, the public demonstrations would continue.
Sowore said, “They (referring to the government) have nothing to offer you. Sometimes we ask for too much when we know that they have nothing or little to give. What you saw happened in the speech which I did not bother to listen to, there is nothing in it.
“There is no desire on their part to connect with the issues. We have 15 demands, but none of them was addressed. Tinubu merely reaffirmed his position that no matter what you do, he is not going to do anything about your condition.
“The social and economic conditions brought hardships to the people. So the good news is that he has helped to mobilise for the next round of action. You see that Nigerians went back to the barricade again today in Lagos.
“Tomorrow which coincides with the fifth anniversary of our #RevolutionNow, we are mobilising across Nigeria and beyond for the resumption of massive action.”
He continued: “We hope those who are watching and listening will go and store food and we encourage workers not to bother to go to work, for transporters to stay away from the highway. We want the roads to be abandoned.
“We want the system to be shut down such that they will understand that Nigerians are the real owners of the country, not those in Abuja who have no idea of what is going on.
“You can understand, that you have a country where people are hungry and the solution is for the President to come out and say they have a garden at the back of Aso Rock where they grow tomatoes and ‘Ewedu’(vegetables). You will know this government is not serious.”
Sowore had unveiled a list of 15 critical demands from Nigerians to the government.
According to Sowore, the demands were compiled from inputs received from Nigerians participating in the #EndBadGovernance campaign.
The demands are considered as non-negotiable by the protesters.
The demands, from Nigerians, include a call for President Tinubu’s administration to “Scrap the 1999 Constitution and replace it with a People-made.”
Other demands are: “Constitution for the Federal Republic of Nigeria through a Sovereign National Conference immediately followed by a National Referendum.
“Toss the Senate arm of the Nigerian Legislative System, keep the House of Representatives (HOR), and make lawmaking a part-time endeavor.
“Pay Nigerian Workers a minimum wage of nothing less than N250,000 monthly.
“Invest heavily in education and give Nigerian students grants, not loans. Aggressively pursue free and compulsory education for children across Nigeria.
“Release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu unconditionally and demilitarize the South East. ALL #ENDSARS and political detainees must also be released and compensated.
“Renationalize publicly owned enterprises sold to government officials and cronies.
“Reinstate a corruption-free subsidy regime to reduce hunger, starvation and multidimensional poverty.
“Probe past and present Nigerian leaders who have looted the treasury, recover their loot, and deposited it in a special account to fund education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
“Restructuring of Nigeria to accommodate Nigeria’s diversity, resource control, decentralization and regional development.
“End banditry, terrorism and violent crimes. Reforms of Security Agencies to stop continuous human rights violations and duplication of security agencies and enhance the physical security of Nigerian citizens.”