It appears that the EndBadGovernance protesters in Lagos State have ended the protest.
As of 12:30 pm on Tuesday, there were no protesters at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota – the protest ground.
However, security operatives were still on ground, while there is free flow of traffic as all the lanes are fully in use.
The nationwide protest, which kicked off on August 1, has paralyzed economic activities in some parts of the country. But in Lagos, there has not been any incident of violence.
The protesters are demanding the reversal of the petrol subsidy which was removed by President Bola Tinubu; the opening of the national borders, taming of inflation, lowering of food prices, among others.
On Monday, full government activities resumed in Lagos. Tinubu had in a broadcast on Sunday, urged protesters to discontinue the protest and engage in dialogue.
Speaking to journalists at the Lagos House in Ikeja on Monday, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said the state is currently peaceful and that government operations have fully resumed.
“Lagos is peaceful, and that is what Lagosians want,” Omotoso said. “The Governor has resumed the business of the state, and government workers are back at their desks. Members of the public are returning to engage with government services”, he stated.
Lagos is the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria. Omotoso emphasized the state’s role as Nigeria’s commercial hub and expressed gratitude to the protesters for their contribution to the city’s stability.
“Lagosians have chosen peace and rejected chaos,” he added.
Lagos has disclosed that it would engage leaders of the protest. To this end, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Sunday, directed the Ministry of Youth and Social Development; Ministry of Information and Strategy and Office of Civic Engagement to immediately open wider channels of engagement with various stakeholders. Dedicated citizens access lines have since been provided.
Omotoso revealed that since the state government issued the three contact numbers for dialogue, thousands of calls have been received from individuals and groups seeking to engage with the government.