Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has commended the peaceful nature of the ongoing protests in the state, assuring protesters of his commitment to sustained good governance. In a press statement released yesterday by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke reiterated his commitment to good governance and assured the people of Osun State that their voices are being heard.
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Protests have been ongoing nationwide since August 1st, with citizens demanding an end to bad governance in Nigeria. While some protests have turned violent in places like Kano and Yobe states, where authorities imposed curfews after protestors attacked and burned vehicles, and in Abuja, where police fired tear gas and live ammunition to disperse protesters, the protests in Osun State have remained largely peaceful.
According to a report by Amnesty International Nigeria, at least 13 protesters have been killed and over 300 arrested nationwide, with the majority of the incidents occurring in the northern regions. The human rights organization’s Nigeria head confirmed the numbers on Friday morning.
However, the Nigeria Police Force, on Saturday, said a total of 681 criminal elements were arrested for committing various offences between Thursday and Friday. This was as the police stated that personnel deployed for the protests had been professional. The police made this known while responding to the report released by Amnesty International which accused security agencies of killing 13 protesters on the first day of the protest.
Speaking on the protest in Osun State, Governor Adeleke has expressed delight at the patriotism exhibited by the organizers, who rejected attempts by “dark forces” to hijack the protests for selfish goals. The Governor praised the organizers for maintaining peace and airing their views on the state of the nation, urging them to sustain their peaceful approach.
He assured that all submissions from the protesters would be received and addressed, with state-level concerns tackled by his administration and national-level concerns taken to the President in Abuja. Governor Adeleke also highlighted his administration’s efforts to address the people’s yearnings and aspirations, including food security initiatives to expand food supply, enhance farmers’ support, moderate food prices, boost food access, and introduce tractorization.
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He commended security agencies and stakeholders for their efforts in maintaining peace in Osun, thanking them for their hard work.
Meanwhile, the protest continued yesterday in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, as Chairman of the Joint Action Front (JAF) in Oyo state, Prof Ademola Aremu and Acting National Chairperson of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), Abi Odun Bamgboye, along with other activists, addressed journalists in front of the University of Ibadan (UI) gate criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent national broadcast, stating that it failed to address the core issues faced by Nigerians.
The activists noted that the achievements highlighted in the broadcast did not result in tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary citizens. They indicated that the Tinubu-led administration is unlikely to address the protesters’ demands.
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