Organisers of the June 12 protest, Take It Back Movement, have released a list of venues across the country where Nigerians will converge for a scheduled protest.
The exercise was to protest against worsening economic hardship, insecurity, and what the organisers described as the shrinking civic space under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking in an interview with The PUNCH on Monday, the National Coordinator of the movement, Juwon Sanyaolu, said the protest would take place in at least 20 locations nationwide.
‘In Abuja, we will converge at Eagle Square by 8.00 am. In Lagos, we have four locations: Badagry, Maryland, Agbara, and Toll Gate, all starting by 7 am.
‘In Akure, Ondo State, we will gather at Cathedral Junction by 8 am, and in Benin City, Edo State, at the Museum Ground by 9 am. In Niger State, the venue is Gida Matasa at 8 am.
‘In Yobe, we will meet at the Maiduguri Bypass Roundabout in Damaturu by 7:30 am, while in Oyo State, it is Mokola Roundabout in Ibadan by 8 am.
‘In Bauchi, the protest will be held opposite the Bauchi School of ACR, Yelewam Makaranta, by 8 am. In Osun State, it will be at Olaiya Junction in Osogbo’, Sanyaolu said.
He listed five locations for Delta State as Amukpe Roundabout in Sapele; Summit Junction and Koka Junction in Asaba; Otovwodo Junction in Ughelli Effurun Roundabout, PTI Junction, and DSC Roundabout in Warri; and Police Station Junction in Abraka.
‘In Adamawa, we will meet at Juppu Jam Road, Yola, by 8 am. In Borno State, the venue is Kasuwan Gamboru Flyover by 8 am’, he added.
He stated that the protest, fixed to coincide with Nigeria’s Democracy Day, was meant to demand accountability and reaffirm Nigerians’ constitutional rights.
‘Our demands have not changed. We are using 12 June as a day to exercise our democratic rights as Nigerians to demand accountability and democratic governance.
‘The Constitution clearly states that the primary responsibility of the government is the security and welfare of the people. All these have completely failed under the government of President Tinubu’, Sanyaolu said.
He cited the report by Amnesty International that over 10,000 Nigerians had lost their lives to insecurity since President Tinubu assumed office.
‘Over 133 million Nigerians are multidimensionally poor. Thousands have been displaced from their homes due to forced evictions and insecurity.
‘For instance, in Benue State alone, over 40,000 people are displaced, while in Plateau, the figure is about 68,000. This is the state of welfare and security in the country’, he said.
The activist also accused the government of stifling dissent and cracking down on opposition voices.
‘Under this administration, the civic space is under attack. Freedom of speech is under threat as government critics and opposition voices are being hounded.
‘These are the issues we want to bring to public attention by expressing our democratic rights’, he added.
Sanyaolu warned security agencies against any form of repression during the demonstrations, noting that the right to protest was guaranteed under the Nigerian Constitution and had been upheld by the Supreme Court.
‘To the security agencies, we want to state categorically that they must protect protesters, not repress them.
‘It is a constitutional mandate and a lawful one. Nigerians have the right to protest, and during such actions, the police must ensure protesters are safe and that their voices are heard’, he said.
He listed some of the confirmed protest venues and convergence times across various states.
Sanyaolu urged Nigerians to come out en masse to ‘reclaim the soul of the country’ and hold those in power accountable
