It was a protest few believed would succeed in Abuja given the city’s plastic lifestyle and the dominance of civil servants, who wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of their masters. However, as NICK UDENTA captured, Abuja residents trooped out to register their displeasure with the recent hike in pump price of fuel. This is the first day of the protest…
Monday morning, the 9th of January 2012 was like any other day in Abuja only that the masses were at home and had their eyes glued to their television sets and their ears on their radio set, waiting to see if the labour union was going tell them to go out and source for their daily bread or not.
Meanwhile, at the popular Berger Junction, some youths were gathering, carrying placards and flags with Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) inscriptions. As the youths were gathering at the junction so also were the police and civil defence corps. It was like the meeting of cats and dogs with the atmosphere around the junction getting charged as the numbers of angry youths swell.
As time ticked by, it was as if a battle line was drawn between the police, the civil defence corps and the gathering, which was growing into a critical mass of change. The presence of a police helicopter hovering within the axis of the junctions didn`t help matters as the youths ignored it but cheered the arrival of some members of the labour unions spearheading the strike.
And then come the zero hour, the crowd started moving down towards Wuse market after some addresses made by labour leaders. Meanwhile, security agents blocked the Sky Memorial junctions (Herbert Macaulay and Michael Okpara Way junction) to prevent the crowd from proceeding but the crowd was not deterred. Emboldened by the labour leaders and the anti government songs blaring from the sound system accompanying the rally, the protesters marched down to Sky Memorial junction and turned it into a road-show.
At Sky Memorial junction, the protesters met a barricade of police and civil defence corps and their vehicles. But the protesters were not deterred as they chanted anti government songs and asked the security agencies to let them pass and continue with their protest. After what seemed like a slight resistance, the protesters, who kept increasing in number as the marching continued, broke through the barricade and marched towards Wuse Market junction along the Herbert Macaulay Way.
Wuse Zone 6, where all this drama was taking place, has two residential quarters within it and the neighbouring Zone 5 has one. The three residential quarters harbour mainly civil servants whose interest the march seemed to be protecting and as such the group were able to attract a lot of sympathisers who joined in the march. By then the crowd was growing from between two hundred to three hundred, and people were fast joining them as they approached Wuse Market junction.
Maybe, the police never imagined that the protesters would be this large in number, but after the protesters went past the first barricade at Sky Memorial junction, the police realised that the issue was getting out of hand and began to make frantic calls for reinforcements. Thus, by the time the protesters got to the Wuse market junction, they were faced by combat-ready policemen on both heavy and small vehicles and ‘powerbikes’ with their big headlamps on.
Once again the protesters exercised caution, chanting their protest songs: ‘we no go gree o we no go gree susidy removal we no go gree!!! They were chanting and buying time as some labour leaders went ahead to jaw-jaw with the police. After what seemed like a deadlock the police soft-pedalled and the protesters, who had now grown to about 500 in number, marched towards the Wuse market junction with their liberation songs, music and dance getting stronger.
At the junction, the leaders of the group, who were from the organised labour such as Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Radio, Theatre and Television Workers Union (RATTAWU), Non Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASUU), Medical Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) and so many others, took turns to address the protesters. One word that registered in the mind of many who listened to the address was the word CABALOCRACY as was used by Hon Patrick Obahiagbon, former House of Representative member from Edo State, to describe the mood of governance being practiced in Nigeria.
As the addresses and jaw-jaws were going on, people from all walks of life joined in and turned the protest into fun party. Civil servants left their homes to join; traders in Wuse market locked up their shops and ran out to join the protesters and commercial drivers, who believed the strike is going to make the government change its mind, parked their buses and together with their conductors joined in.
The chanting of Solidarity forever! Solidarity forever!!Solidarity forever!!! For the union makes us strong!!!! Soli! Soli!! Soli!!!rented the air, as people were raising their flags and placards with inscriptions such as; Nigeria Is Not Animal Farm, Naija De Para, Subsidy Removal is a crime, We Refuse World Bank, IMF, and so on and so forth. A convoy of vehicles was immediately formed and it kept increasing as different arms of labour unions, civil societies and individuals came in with their buses and cars. The crowd continued with another song: ‘all we are saying give us our shoe!!!
The DJ was also busy dishing out all kinds of protest songs which Fela Anikolapo Kuti repertoire of anti government songs, African China`s BBC popular track: ‘food no de, papa water no de, our country no good o and what about NEPA, people de no get light; Idris Abdul Kareem’s Nigeria jaga jaga, everyone scatter scatter, all man jaga jaga kposa kposa, gunshots everywhere; Wande Coal’s ‘So na like this we go de de? Na like this we go de de?’ and others. There were also reggae songs from Ras Kimono, Bob Marley and other reggae artists but it was Fela’s songs that carried the day. And there was His Royal Punkness, Charly Boy, with his power bike, and dressed in an outrageous outfit. After all the long speeches by various comrades, which were often interrupted by the heavy sound of Charley Boy`s power bike, the march moved on through the Wuse market road (Kashim Ibrahim Way) to Aminu Kano Crescent where the protesters turned to the trees, plucking green leaves and brandishing them in the air. This was in addition to the placards and banners. Meanwhile, the mass movement of the crowd halted every activity at Wuse market, and for fear of the youths invading and looting the market, it was shut down. This made the march to gain more converts, who joined the protest from the market.
So with the green leaves, banners and the placards plus the crowd that joined from the market, the march along the Iluobe filling station and Glo-end of Amino Kano crescent, then to Ahmadu Bello Way junction was a bit tensed up but still non violent. This is not to forget the protest songs and music which ginger up the crowd. Well-meaning individuals, in show of solidarity, were buying drinking waters in sachets for the people, so also were the organisers of the march. The organisers of the march, who were detailed to check the excesses of the restive youths among the crowd, had a difficult time. The police had, after the Wuse Market junction encounter, left the crowd in the hands of labour leaders and disappeared to God knows where.
At Ahmadu Bello Way junction, the coordinators of the match had much to do. Some vehicles that were caught in the crowd had no option but to show solidarity by accepting green leaves from the crowd. Some wriggled their way through, while others had to join the convoy which was heading to Eagle Square. The protesters, who looked a bit exhausted after trekking more than 10 kilometres, were still trudging on amidst the songs, dances and anti-government talks. The social media was also at work. While the march was progressing, some protesters were busy using their BlackBerry (BB or is it BusyBody) to capture and send pictures of happenings.
Gossip and propaganda machineries were having a field day. Some protesters were overheard accusing President Goodluck Jonathan of flying to South Africa for the 100 years celebration of the founding of African National Congress (ANC). But Mr. President never went to South Africa as he was locked in discussions with his cabinet on how to address the protests. Some protesters said: “How can this people expect us to pay all this money for oil and still pay almost N50, 000 for the new plate number and the tollgate issue?”
The march moved along the Ahmadu Bello Way to the first Ademola Adetokumbo junction. Flyers were distributed to motorists and pedestrians and you just better accept the flyers whatever your position on the subsidy removal was.
The content of the flyer include reasons why oil subsidy should not be removed. Others had questions like: ‘Where do the candidates running for the staggered elections in the five states stand on the issue of fuel subsidy removal?’
The protesters were not allowed to proceed to Eagle Square and they finally gathered at Adetokumbo Ademola / IBB Way junction. Some called it the Freedom Square. The NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar, said there was bad news of protesters who were killed in Lagos State and a bombing in Maiduguri but said they would carry on with their activity in a calm and peaceful manner. After the announcement came songs of encouragement. They were singing and asking: ‘how many people police go kill? How many people police go kill? Eh them go kill us tire, eh them go kill us tire, eh eh eh them go kill us tire, how many people police go kill?’ However, the protesters were still chanting and calling for their leaders to take them to Eagle Square. Then came another round of long speeches from some labour leaders and civil right activists. The last to address the crowd was Charly Boy, who spoke in Pidgin English. However, the protesters seemed not to have had enough so they kept shouting ‘Eagle Square! Eagle Square!! Eagle Square!!!’ But their cry for onward march to the Eagle Square was not get approved as the leaders told them that due to the Armed Forces Remembrance Day, the military is having a parade at the ground but that they hoped to get to Eagle Square the following day.
One remarkable thing about the march in Abuja that first day is that there were neither deaths nor serious injuries. Both the law enforcement agents and the organisers of the march chose to jaw-jaw rather than to war. That alone is a mark of civility encroaching into the polity. Many are still surprised that Abuja residents often described as indifferent in protest matters were able to turn out en masse to march along the street in a peaceful way that lasted all through the week.
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