From Joseph Adahnu, Yola
Anti government and pro government supporters in their thousands took over Jimeta major streets of Adamawa State, joining their counterparts in other parts of the country.
The early protesters and pro- government said the laudable policies and initiatives of President Bola Tinubu are worth appreciating, as parallel processions also took place in the state.
However, the protests took place under tight security as police and personnel of NSCDC were seen stationed at strategic locations including police roundabout and Ribadu square the terminal points.
Those in support of the President took their procession from police roundabout to Ribadu Square on rally in support of the initiatives, bore supportive placards with several inscriptions.
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Leaders of different groups including the youth, women and people living with disability who addressed Journalists, acknowledged the critical development challenges bedeviling the nation, saying that it is the result of years of misgovernance.
Leadership of pro government protesters including, Comfort Ibrahim Ezra, the convener of women in politics, Yakubu Umar, Adamu Ibrahim Pola, Musa Hamma Adama and Anas Bala, stated that the President has started on a good footing and has so far established far reaching reforms including championing LG autonomy, students loan scheme, implementing new minimum wage establishing a commission for PLWD amongst many reforms.
The groups urged the people to channel their grievances through dialogue because of the propensity of the President to listen to the people.
Speaking also, the leader of the #EndBadGovernance protesters organised by the Take it Back, Ibrahim Waziri Bappa, a former state Lawmaker, said their reason for staging the protest is to call on the government to address issues of insecurity, inflation, poverty and food security.
According to Waziri, if the President concedes to these critical demands, they would have no reason to remain on the road. He urged the President to do the needful so that Nigerians can have some relief.
The former Lawmaker, therefore, urged the President to also return subsidy on petrol, electricity and restore the value of the naira. He called on Nigerians to continue to resist the bad policies of the government.
Waziri noted that the government has been frightened by agitations, saying that if the people persist, the government will be forced to go back on some of the seemingly non productive policies.
One of the protesters who spoke under anonymity, said if the protest succeeds, it is God who heard the prayers of the people and if it does not succeed, it is because the time frame given for the protest was too long which gave the government to strategies its failure.
He added that if their demands are not met, they will continue till the last day, 10th August, 2024.
