As the nationwide protest against bad governance begins on August 1, the residents of Ondo have continued to lament in silence over the hardship and cost of living in the country.
The residents, who refused to troop the streets for the #EndBadGovernance protest, accused the government of President Bola Tinubu of being insensitive to the plight of common Nigerians.
A few of the residents who spoke with Peoples Gazette in Akure on Thursday also added that they could not come out to join the nationwide protest because of repeated threats and intimidation from the state actors.
One of them, Abiola Adelaide, decried hunger in the country, saying the people deserved to express their grievances against the government, particularly over the soaring prices of food items.
Mr Adelaide, a graduate of agricultural sciences who is now into poultry farming, said government’s unfavourable economic policies angered Nigerians to troop the streets in protest.
“I’m not surprised that no one is coming out to protest here in Akure. Everyone is afraid of intimidation and threats from security agencies. Those who would have also championed the protest have been bought over by aides to the government.
“It’s disheartening that we still find ourselves in this situation. There is hunger, pain and hardship in the country and the government is coming out to entice people and also buy them over and asking them to talk to others not to come out because they are scared of what the protest could lead to,” he complained.
While protests did not occur in the state, checks by The Gazette also showed that commercial activities were going on, while some fuel stations were dispensing their product to motorists without any hindrance.
The popular Oba Adesida, Arakala, and Oyemekun roads located in the heart of the ancient city of Akure were, however, empty without the usual vehicular or human traffic.
At the popular NEPA roundabout and Arakale streets, traders opened their shops and stores for business transactions and trading.
One of the traders, simply identified as Emeka, told our reporter that he had to open since no protest was taking place in the state, “At least, you can see that everywhere is peaceful. No protest here in Akure. It is only some policemen were seen patrolling the streets. So, we have to open our shop for sales.”
Also, commercial banks, financial institutions and shopping malls all shut their gates and doors against customers in the state capital, Akure, over fear attack and attack.
Also, the government offices located at Alagbaka, including the Governor’s Office, were without much activity, while public transportation systems were operating at low capacity as a few commuters were out.
A combined team of security agencies; armed policemen, state security services (SSS), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Army, and Amotekun Corps were seen in strategic locations of the state capital mouting security checkpoints.
As Nigerians continued to protest in other states, the hardship and living costs spiked in the country after Mr Tinubu ended the fuel subsidy after taking over power in May last year.
The situation forced many citizens to criticise the government even as inflation hit record levels of 34.19 per cent in June, with food inflation of more than 40.87 per cent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
