In the past three days, Nigerians have taken to the streets to register their grouse with the Federal Government in a nationwide protest tagged #EndBadGovernance inNigeria.
As the protesters, mainly youths, marched, singing solidarity songs and brandishing placards conspicuously inscribed with their demands, the elderly also defied all odds to join the movement.
For many of these elderly citizens, hunger and suffering, which they said know no tribe or age, spurred them into action despite their frailty.
Among them was a 70-year-old woman who spoke to Guardian TV.
The septuagenarian said, “We are tired of all this sitting down in the house, not finding something to eat at will. I cannot eat what I like. As of this morning, I have not eaten because I sent them to go and buy something for me, but they could not buy it. They had to come back home because things were so expensive. It is so unfortunate that the children who are supposed to be looking after us are all at home sleeping, with no employment. Employment is now based on gender and political connections.
“We want our children to feed us in old age. I’m over 70 and I’m here. If not for the grace of God, a lot of my mates have passed on. We are not asking for anything other than an enabling environment where people can do their businesses rightly and profitably.
“The protest is going to yield results. It has already yielded positive results because before the protest started, the government had come up with many policies and corrections, including the national wage increase. But that is not the ultimate. What do people buy with N70,000 in this present dispensation?”
Further lamenting, she said, “When are we going to get into our peace? Let them leave us. Let them give us an enabling environment so that we can move on even if they are doing whatever they are doing. All their utterances and all their activities are the things that are propelling Nigerian masses to react the way they are reacting. The Senate President said they will be eating in their homes while protesters are protesting. Is that a good statement from people who are supposed to be keepers of the king’s conscience?
“While I was growing up, things were better. We had our peace. Let there be peace now. We want an enabling environment. Make things easy for people to thrive. Whatever comes next, we will know. The government is very insensitive. People are crying that there is no food. A lot of children did not go to school this last term because schools increased their fees. In this coming session, they will not have a way to go. My own grandson is at home and the increase in the school fees is about N200,000. How many parents can afford that in this current economic hardship?
“Our students, our youths are learning under serious hard conditions. I can attest to that, and yet they want to live peacefully. So this protest is going to be peaceful. The Nigerian youth, everybody is adhering to instructions. Nigerians are peaceful, fun-loving people until you steer them to action. All their utterances are the things that will start it. You cannot be there buying SUVs for $200,000. You cannot be there buying tyres for $200,000 within one year.”
In a video shared by Pulse NG, another elderly woman suspected to be a nonagenarian from Abraka, Delta State, who also joined the protest, was heard saying, “We no go gree oooo. Hunger too much. We no go gree.”
An elderly woman, interviewed by AIT, said she was tired of going to bed hungry.
She lamented, “We are going down every day, and we are saying that we are tired. I want the whole world to witness what I’m saying today, that any politician who is not ready to change has to be sent out. I stand to say this without fear, and again, I know that the police are calm, but there are those who are not. The IG has to come on board because he is also a Nigerian. We are tired of a situation whereby the politicians and the police are taking us Nigerians for granted and we don’t have peace anymore. We are saying that it is no longer acceptable. That is why we are saying that enough is enough.”
A video posted by a Twitter user with the handle OyefadeG, showed an aged woman, whose identity was not also disclosed, saying she was tired of begging to feed.
A market woman in Port Harcourt, in a post by Channels, lamented that the price of commodities had gone beyond the reach of most Nigerians.
“Things are so expensive for us. We want the protest to continue so that things can change. We have to add more money for transport, which is why our goods are expensive. We can’t afford to buy food. For instance, a bag of okra is now N48, 500,” she said.
Another elderly woman, identified simply as Mrs Shoyinka, defied all odds by walking 7.2 km to join the protest in Sango-Ota, Ogun State.
Registering her frustration and citing reasons for participating, she said, “I am Mrs. Soyinka. I came from Owode to this place (Sango-Ota), and I said I must be here today. Elderly people like me are begging, there is no food to eat, and we are hungry. I’m begging everywhere. Our children go out with nothing to do; they don’t have jobs or work. They also go around begging people all over Sango. Young men and women in Sango have no jobs; everything is spoilt. Every road is spoilt, and market women don’t have enough to do business. This is not good. Someone should deliver us from this government, from the hands of Tinubu.
“They are making us suffer; he is making us suffer. Someone should save us from them, have mercy, and come to our aid. Everything is expensive. Rice is expensive, and garri is expensive. They should open the border too. They are making us suffer. Nigerians are hungry.”
Also, another in Lagos lamented that Nigerians were tired of the disrespect from the police and politicians, and would no longer tolerate it.
She said, “We are going down every day. We are tired. I want the whole world to witness what I am saying today. Any politician who is not ready to change must be sent out. I stand to say this without fear. Enough is enough.”
Meanwhile, an elderly man was spotted on X, holding a placard with words written in Hausa.
According to the post, he was seen marching around the Farwa-Marriri axis on the popular Maiduguri highway.
The placard was translated to mean, “The suffering is too much We must register our grievances. It is our right to do so.”
In Gombe State, Salihu Doho, a 70-year-old, who spoke with Sunday PUNCH, said he joined the protest in solidarity with the youth before it became violent. According to him, he was motivated to be part of the demonstration due to severe hardship.
Doho said, “I’m 70 years old, and as you can see, I am very strong. I joined the protest to register my grief over the situation. The hardship is felt by both poor and rich, old and young. I had to withdraw when the whole thing turned violent. Tinubu should reverse the removal of the oil subsidy.”
On her part, 65-year-old Grace, a Kano State resident, said she joined the protest to tell the world about the challenges faced by the elderly.
“This was not how things were many years ago. Now it’s worse,” she lamented.
(Punch)
