Mr Macaroni Calls For Release Of Detained #EndSARS Protesters

Nigerian skit maker and activist, Adebowale ‘Debo’ Adedayo popularly known as Mr. Macaroni, has made a passionate plea for the release of #EndSARS protesters who continue to be held in detention three years after the mass demonstrations that rocked Nigeria in October 2020.  These protests initially demanded an end to police brutality, extrajudicial killings, extortion, and abuse of power, particularly by the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The October 2020 protests, marked by their peaceful beginnings, ultimately led to the federal government’s decision to disband SARS.  Tragically, the movement was cut short on October 20 when Nigerian Army officers opened fire on protesters, resulting in numerous casualties. On the third anniversary of the Lekki shooting incident, Mr. Macaroni led a peace walk in Lagos to honour those who lost their lives that fateful day.  During this solemn occasion, he called for the immediate and unconditional release of all #EndSARS protesters who remain incarcerated. Mr. Macaroni emphasized the importance of preventing any pretext for violence and urged authorities to address the prolonged detention of activists, stating that some have been in prison since 2020 despite legal efforts to secure their release. “I want to use this opportunity to call for the unconditional release of all those [protesters] that are still in Lagos prisons. There are still some protesters who have been in prison since 2020. Lawyers have been on the cases, different shouts every day but till now, they are still there. “We are using this walk to once again call on all those concerned to grant the unconditional release of all protesters that are still in prison,” he said.

Subsidy Removal: Organised labour in Nasarawa joins nationwide protest

The organised labour in Nasarawa State has joined the nationwide protest against the hike in the price of petrol in the aftermath of the Federal Government’s removal of fuel subsidy. The unions, consisting the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), led the protest march from Total Filling Station, Lafia, to the Office of the Deputy Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe. Speaking at the event on Wednesday in Lafia, Comrade Ismaila Oko, NLC Chairman, called on the Federal Government to reconsider the action in view of the hardship being experienced by the workers and the masses. The NLC chair said that the Federal Government should immediately take measures that would improve the lots of Nigerians before things get out of control. “Since the subsidy was removed, workers now spend their entire salaries on transport fares to their offices. “Workers can no longer cater for the school fees of their children, feed their family members and meet up to other responsibilities in the family,” Oko said. On his part, Comrade Mohammed Doma, TUC Chairman, urged the government to act fast to address the fuel hike. He wondered why the citizens of a country that was producing petroleum would be buying petrol at an exorbitant price that the citizens could not afford. “Our salaries cannot take care of our transportation to our offices, we are suffering,” the TUC Chairman noted. The union submitted a protest letter to the Head of Civil Service, Ms Abigail Waya, who lauded them for conducting themselves peacefully. Waya said that already both the Federal Government and the Nasarawa government had constituted committees to work out palliatives for the citizenry. She promised to brief Governor Abdullahi Sule about their issues and to submit their letter to him.