Obaseki blames FG for hardship as protesters worship on street

• Published On: 05 August 2024 at 05:19

On Sunday, Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki blamed the country's hardship on the Federal Government's policies.

This occurred while hunger protestors in Edo State organized a church service on the streets.

Obaseki said in a statement on Sunday that his government had implemented several people-oriented programmes to alleviate Edo people's suffering as a result of the difficult living conditions caused by various Federal Government policies.

Obaseki listed some of the programmes to alleviate people's sufferings, including raising the minimum wage for workers to N70,000 to boost their purchasing power, introducing a free transport scheme along the routes operated by the Edo City Transport Service, extending free Wi-Fi services to public spaces to help citizens telecommute, and kick-starting a state-wide feeding for the vulnerable implemented in partnership with Christians and Muslim institutions, amo


Obaseki stated, "The protest is obviously the result of the difficult living conditions that Nigerians have had to endure, particularly in the last year, as a result of various policies implemented by the Federal Government."

"These policies have had a terrible impact on citizens, who have had to bear astronomical high food prices, high transportation expenses, galloping inflation, and operating capital losses by small company owners across the country.

"In Edo State, we have taken several actions within our constitutional authority to reduce the suffering and hardship of our people by showing empathy and supporting our people to weather and survive this trying time despite the challenges witnessed across the nation."


According to Nigerianwaatch, some protestors in the ongoing nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests continued their protest on Sunday, holding a Church service on the road as part of the state's Sunday activities.

Some civil society organisations withdrew from the demonstration on Saturday, preferring to await President Bola Tinubu's nationwide broadcast on Sunday am before deciding on their next course of action.

However, at the Agho Junction on Ekehuan Road, where the church service was conducted, demonstrators sang and danced in praise of God and called for the end of bad administration.

During the church service, protesters barricaded the road, preventing vehicles from passing.

Soldiers in convoy were observed monitoring the state's major routes, attempting to clear any barricades set up by demonstrators.

Agho Omobude, Coordinator of the Edo State Civil Society Organisation, stated that the protest would last 10 days and would continue if the President failed to meet the demonstrators' demands.