Human rights activist and lawyer Tony Dania has asserted that the #EndBadGovernance protest has already achieved around 25% of its objectives even before commencing. He attributed this success to the government's implementation of populist policies, such as reducing rice prices, supporting Dangote’s local refinery, and approving a minimum wage for workers.
Addressing journalists in Lagos on Wednesday, Dania explained that the protests erupted due to the government's lack of proactive measures in addressing underlying issues. He noted, “They’re selling rice. They’re coming up with populist policies, which is something they should have done before. They are addressing the issue of Dangote refinery, which they should have considered earlier. So, I think the protest has succeeded to some extent.”
While supporting the protest in principle, Dania expressed concerns about its coordination and potential for hijacking by hoodlums, which could lead to chaos. He questioned the ability of organizers to manage the protests if they were to be infiltrated by criminals or counter-protesters incited by politicians.
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Dania emphasized the legitimacy of the protests but stressed the importance of preventing them from being exploited for destructive purposes. “The protest is justified and I support it, except that I am not in support of it being hijacked by criminals or politicians. You can’t stop the area boys from joining in. You can’t stop the government from counter-protesting,” he said.
He highlighted the root causes of the protests, including corruption among government officials, high living costs, insufficient support for medium and small-scale industries, and youth unemployment. Dania proposed that the Federal Government should continue implementing self-executing populist policies, support the Dangote refinery, and tackle insecurity to address the nation's challenges.
Dania also predicted that the protests might not last the full ten days as planned, given that over 40% of Nigerians rely on daily jobs for their livelihood. He concluded that more effective and less damaging forms of protest should be considered to achieve societal change.
