•Scene of BRT buses set ablaze during October 20, 2020 ENDSARS protest in Lagos.
Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has advised the Southwest youths to shun the planned nationwide protests scheduled for August 1 to 10 over the hardship in the country.
Igboho in a statement issued Monday night, July 29, urged his people not to allow anybody or group turn Yorubaland into a launchpad or battleground for political upheaval allegedly being planned by the ‘Days of Rage’ and ‘Tinubu Must Go!’ protests organisers.
He said having travelled to many countries since his release from detention in Republic of Benin, it has dawn on him that hardship is currently a global phenomenon and a thing confined to Nigeria.
He said, “I, Chief Sunday Igboho, am issuing this press release in response to the planned protests by some unknown and faceless individuals, who are working to disintegrate the country.
“Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assumed office on May 29, 2023, he has implemented revolutionary policies, which his predecessors lacked the political will to pursue.
“These bold steps have, unsurprisingly, unsettled those who believe it is their birth right to rule Nigeria. And in response, there have been attempts to undermine his administration, particularly on social media, with the aim of creating discord between the government and the people.
“Recently, we have become aware of notices from unknown individuals threatening ’10 days of rage’, beginning August 1, 2024, under the slogan ‘Tinubu Must Go!’
“While the right to peaceful protest is enshrined in our constitution, it does not extend to calls for an unconstitutional regime change. It is worth noting that during President Buhari’s eight-year tenure, there were no such protests for regime change from the Southwest, even when our people faced oppression and atrocities by Fulani terrorists.
“Our protests were focused on protecting our communities, not on destabilizing the country.
“The Yoruba Nation Movement and I firmly declare that we will not participate in any protest aimed at using the Southwest as a battleground for political upheaval.
“We stand resolute in our belief that the Yoruba nation will not be a launchpad for disintegrating Nigeria. We recognize that economic hardship is a global phenomenon, not unique to Nigeria.
“Since my release from the unjust detention orchestrated by former President Buhari and his then attorney general of federation, Abubakar Malami, I have travelled extensively across Europe, the Middle East, West Africa and North America. Everywhere…”
