Protesters against removal of fuel subsidy in Kano yesterday said they have converged at the Jubilee Square in the Central Metropolitan area of the state to launch their fight “against nepotism and bad governance.”
They are hoping to turn the square into the country’s equiivalent of the Tahrir Square (in Egypt) for the emancipation of the common man.
Thousands of protesters comprising lecturers, students, youths and the general public converged at the square and barricaded major streets in the city, vowing to press ahead as they are ready to die than leave the square.
“We will be here. We have had enough of difficult times, now we want our freedom and it seems we have to call on our compatriots to support our cause and volunteer to provide food to us,” Abdul-Aziz Muhammad told our correspondent.
“What we are demanding from the Federal Government is a total reversal of the policy on the fuel subsidy withdrawal. There is no employment for the youths. Most of us are educated but we don’t have jobs, and now the federal government has withdrawn subsidy on fuel”, a protesting youth said.
All those who spoke to our correspondent condemned? government’s action and vowed not to leave the square until their demand was met.
Police, however, prevented the protesters from their procession and stopped them from gaining access to state’s Government House. A detachment of the anti-riot squad of the Nigeria Police Force blocked the road that leads to the statehouse, and dispersed the crowd with tear gas.
At? the Kano-Zaria road, the youths marched in numbers, chanting anti-government songs and calling for the resignation of top government officials who they accused of afflicting the nation with the new policy.