Tom Zaneni, Abuja
Anti-hardship demonstrators on Friday shut the Niger Delta Development Commission corporate headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
They angrily closed the main entrance gate of the interventionist agency, chanting solidarity songs on the second day of the August protests.
The placard-carrying youths in their thousands marched from the Pleasure Park on Aba Road to the NDDC gate through the main gate of the Rivers State Government House.
The demanded good governance, improved socio-economic conditions and an end to bad leadership in Nigeria.
Some of the placards bore messages such as “We Deserve Better”, “Bring Back Subsidy”, “We Are Saying No To High Fuel Price, Food Price, Hunger and Bad Governance.”
They also called on President Bola Tinubu to address their grievances and act fast, adding they would not be silenced.
A protester, Wosu Ihunwo, said it was surprising that Tinubu had maintained sealed lips despite the mass protests across the country.
He said. “…Our worry is that the President is behaving as if what is going does not concern him. If only he can make a pronouncement on reviewing the issue of petroleum subsidy, everything will come down drastically.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Olatunji Disu, who rushed to the scene of a protest around the Federal Secretariat along the Aba Road, Port Harcourt, appealed to the protesters to be peaceful.
He warned against unruly behaviour and acts that can compromise the peace and order while protesting.
Disu stressed the importance of exercising their right to protest without disrupting the daily activities of others.
The police commissioner cautioned them against obstructing vehicular and human movement, urging the demonstrators to keep their actions orderly and lawful.
