Thousands of angry Edo residents made up civil society groups, students,
and market women hauled objects at the direction of the Chief
of Staff, COS, to the Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Hon Patrick
Obahiagbon, yesterday while insisting that state governor must be
physically present to listen to their grievances.
The protesters
staged a peaceful protest along major streets against the state
government and called on the governor to reverse the implementation of
the Land Use Charges, planned increment of tuition fees of tertiary
institution and multiple taxation, among others.
Security agents
made up men of the Nigeria Police Force and Directorate of State
Services, DSS, were on ground to ensure that it was not hijacked by
hoodlums when the protest began at about 9am from Freedom House along
Akpakpava Street.
Some of the messages on the leaflets circulated
read: “No to Impunity, No to Reckless Spending of Tax Payers Money, No
to arbitrary increase of school fess and No to sub-standard educational
system.’
They later marched to Government House to formally intimate the state governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole of their demands.
The
Chief of Staff to the governor, Hon Patrick Obahiagbon who was on
ground to receive the protesters was shouted at while some youths threw
objects at him as they insisted that the governor must address them.
It
was later gathered that the governor was not readily available to
receive them. Security agents however were able to calm the angry youths
and they left government house unattended.
Addressing newsmen at
the Nigeria Union of Journalists’ secretariat, a social commentator and
Human right crusader, Rev Olu Martin, said they had to embark on the
protest march because of the hardship occasioned by the alleged double
taxation and land use charges introduced by the Oshiomhole government.
He
said: “We have used every avenue to tell the governor, when we voted
him into office in November 2008, there were promissory notes that made
thousands of youths support him and by the definition of democracy by
Abraham Lincoln, it was apt then.
“At the beginning, we saw some
attempt by the governor to ameliorate the plight of the people. In the
past when the governor was going on inspection of projects, people will
abandon their wares without even locking their shops. Nobody remembers
now how you came in but how you left. It appears the government has
turned it ears against the people; all our cries and lamentation have
been met with propanganda by government and all we hear is that they are
being sponsored.”