It was relatively calm across the country yesterday despite spirited attempts by organisers of #EndBadGovernance to rally the citizens for another round of protests over the current cost of living.
The organisers had launched a campaign on social media for what they termed a million-man march to round off the protests which commenced on August 1.
Kano, Kaduna and Katsina states, which had been the flash points of the protests in the first few days of the action, were quiet yesterday contrary to the expectations of the protest organisers.
Abuja, the Federal Capital, was equally quiet save a few placard carrying protesters who gathered at the Eagle Square shouting “End hunger” and “Reverse fuel subsidy removal,” among others.
Such was the calmness in Katsina yesterday that the state government felt confident to relax the 7:pm to 7 am curfew it had imposed last week on account of the violence triggered by the protests.
In neighbouring Kaduna State, the government warned that the prohibition of ‘unverified processions’ remained in force, while some residents of Kano gathered at Isyaku Rabiu mosque, Goron Dutse in Dala Local Government Area to pray over the current situation in the country.
Lagos and Port Harcourt were also peaceful with residents going about their businesses.
Policemen and other security agents were deployed in many cities and towns to forestall any trouble.
“We have no issue with anybody as the people are going about their activities lawfully,” a security source told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna.
Residents of Zaria, Kaduna State also went about their normal businesses.
Commercial activities, which were disrupted in the Kano metropolis during the first days of the protests, are already picking up in places like Sabon Gari, Singer Market, Kantin Gwari, and Ahmadu Bello Way.
A resident of Chiranchi area in Gwale LGA of Kano State, Alhaji Abdulkadir Yakubu, said he had warned members of his family and those close to him to ignore any call for fresh protests.
He said previous protests only resulted in hunger and destruction of public buildings.
Mr Royal James, a trader on Enugu Road, urged the protest organisers to engage in dialogue with the government to resolve the crisis.
He described dialogue as a more effective means of addressing grievances than protests.
The resort to prayers yesterday in Kano by some of the residents followed a security advisory by the police that some people were waiting in the wings to cause fresh trouble.
One of the brains behind the prayers, Mubarak Ibrahim Lawan, said: “Kano Commissioner of Police, CP Salman Dogo Garba, and DSS director in the state, Alhassan Muhammad, have alerted us that some evil forces in the country have prepared to send some miscreants to penetrate the law-abiding worshippers and use the gathering to their advantage.
“It is suspected that they would lead some youths into looting, shoplifting and freebooting once again as it happened on 1st August, the day the national protest began. Hence we cancelled the massive gathering to avert the possible chaotic mayhem in the state.
We asked the general public to remain in their respective quarters’ mosques and recite as much Qur’an and pray there as scheduled. The prayer goal could be achieved wherever we are as Allah hears us wherever we are!”
