Self Education | Life Long Learning | Personal Development – Lanre Dahunsi

The OccupyNigeria Movement

The Protest in Nigeria

Occupy Nigeria is a series of protests that began in Nigeria on Monday, 2 January 2012 in response to the fuel subsidy removal by the Federal Government of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Objectives of the OccupyNigeria Movement

The protest aims to among other things:

First, force the Nigerian government to return to the status quo and cause petrol to be sold at the previous rate of 65 naira per litre.

The cost of maintaining public officials has skyrocketed over the past decade and this has to be stopped. The Nigerian President budgets N45 million for the purchase of kitchen and household equipment, while N293 million will be used for “refreshment”. The US president reportedly pays for most of his and his family’s dry-cleaning, meals and drinks. Barack Obama can only expect free meals at official dinners, especially when hosting foreign dignitaries. Nigerians will believe that government is merely taxing them to subsidise the life of ease and luxury of public officials.

Get the government to provide improved infrastructure, eradicate corruption and nepotism.

Get Nigerians to be more involved in the activities of their government.
Weaken (and possibly eliminate) the existing “power cabal”.

The protest started earlier january 2nd 2012 but the main rally and protested which was capped by the mother of all strikes in Nigeria started on the 9th of January 2011.

The January 9th 2012 nationwide strike led to the death/killing of a young nigerian by the Nigerian police in the Ogba area of Lagos. With several deaths recorded in other parts of the country from Maiduguri to kano.

Meanwhile, the federal government of all Nigeria have been busy using various mediums of making the people keep quite like we have done as a people for the past 4 Decades. From the NTA propagandist broadcast of pro-subsidy protesters to government agents and minister that try very hard to tell the whole world that tje protest is being exagerrated but the people are saying enough is enough.

I support the OccupyNigerian Movement,Do You?