Independence Day: Youths Protest Amid Heavy Security In Osun

Some youths under the aegis of Coalition of Concerned Nigerian Citizens in Osun State, on Tuesday, stormed the streets of Osogbo, the state capital, in protest against economic hardship in the country.

Protesters who had earlier converged at the popular Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, and marched through Oke-fair, Alekuwodo, to Olaiya flyover Osogbo, for the protest tagged “NationalDayOfSurvival”

Armed with placards with various inscriptions such as “Place all political office holders on minimum wage,” “Reverse electricity tariff hike,” “implement 70,000 minimum wage,” among others, the protesters decried current economic hardship bedeviling the country .

Our Correspondent observed the presence of security operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Correctional Services, and among others, in their numbers.

Addressing newsmen at the sideline of the protest, the coordinator of the coalition, Comrade Adetunji Ajala, stated that the protest is a one-off event aimed at frowning at the government policies.

He expressed his satisfaction with the peaceful conduct of the protesters, noting that there was no looting, burning of tire, among other acts capable of causing crisis in the state.

He said, “the essence of this protest is to tell the government that we are not happy with its policies and we were able to achieve our objective in a peaceful manner because there was no looting, no burning of tires and there was no attack on any one or personality.

“And we were able to exercise our right as a citizen of this country, and the people who participated were of good conduct and that of the security agencies.

“The coalition of concerned Nigeria citizens as the major recognized body for this protest is ending ours today, because it’s one day event.”