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Protest in Edo: End the suffering, hunger in Nigeria, CSOs urge Pres. Tinubu

Also speaking, the pastor of Omega Fire Ministry, Benin, and the governorship candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Pastor Azemhe Azena, who joined the protest against economic hardship in the country, said the situation was getting out of hand and that the government at all levels needed to do something to checkmate it.

Per Second NewsFebruary 27, 20242 Mins read1.1k

Edo Civil Society Organizations (EDOCSO) on Monday grounded socio-economic activities in the state capital, Benin City, in protest against what they called economic hardship in the country.

The protesters called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently address the problem of hunger in the country.

The group displayed placards with various inscriptions, such as “Nigerians are starving to death,” “Tinubu end hunger and suffering in Nigeria,” “FG end the hunger in Nigeria now,” and “Tinubu let Nigerians breathe,” among others.

In a statement read to newsmen, the Interim Executive Committee Chairman of the organization, Mr. Leftist Austine Enabulele, said the 14-day ultimatum given to Tinubu to fix the Nigerian economy has since lapsed and that nothing has been done to address the issue of hunger.

He said: “We cannot take the pain anymore. Enough of the hunger, enough of the hardship, and enough of the bad governance in Nigeria.

“If he can’t fix the problems of Nigeria, he should resign quickly with his vice president, Shettima, and let us conduct a fresh election because Nigerians are dying every day. Children are now becoming orphans because their fathers are dying of hardship in Nigeria.

“We are saying enough is enough. If he can’t fix the problems in Nigeria, he should resign and go.”

Enabulele also decried the dollarization of the Nigerian economy, saying that Nigerians should be used to their currency, the Naira.

Azena said clergymen are the ones feeling the heat because of the demands placed on them by their members.

“We are here to draw the attention of the government to the state of the economy in the entire country. They should do something fast because a hungry man is an angry man.

“To prevent anger, crime, and violence in society, you have to attend to hunger. The prices of things are going up in Nigeria per hour.

“So, we should control and regulate the price of goods so that the poor man can breathe and afford them.

“So, we are here to say, from the local government to the federal level, look into the price and do something about it.

“I am a pastor; I can feel it in the faces of my congregation; the load is becoming too much on the clergy and religious men because they need to pay people’s bills,” he said.