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Economic Hardship: CSO Gives FG Ultimatum, Threatens Nationwide Protest

Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO), has given the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to urgently end the suffering in Nigeria with two weeks, threatening that failure to do so will lead to mass protest.
The civil society organisations gave the ultimatum in Benin City, the Edo State capital, during its General Assembly on Saturday.
Reading a statement jointly signed by Comrade Austine Enabulele,
Interim Technical Committee Chairman, and Comrade Grace Okike, Interim Technical Committee Secretary, EDOCSO, the organisations lamented that the economic hardship in the land is becoming unbearable.
“We want to state clearly that failure for the federal government to swing into emergency action to end this HUNGER and economic suffering in Nigeria within the next two week the President and his Vice should resign so we can elect a better leader, or we at Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO) will have no option than to mobilize other citizens all over the country on a Tinubu/Shetima must go protest, and we shall ensure a change in the leadership of Nigeria government to prove that indeed section 14 subsection 2a can be activated by any person elected into place of leadership.
“We shall ensure a better tomorrow for Nigerians and not this present better yesterday than we are currently experiencing. Let’s not be discouraged by the show of ineptitude of our leaders but focus on taking back our country from the hands of greedy politicians,” they added.
According to the civil society organisations, since the first day President Tinubu took over the leadership of Nigeria, “the country has known no peace in terms of our daily living.”
The EDOCSO added: “Beginning from the increase in fuel price till date, continuous rising of dollar that has affected everything in Nigeria including farm produce that comes from the local farms to our markets today, this has made the saying that whatever goes up must surely come down an irony, considering Dollar-naira exchange rate and suffering in Nigeria.”
They continued: “With dismay, pain and agony we have watched Nigerians groan in pains even when we try to assist as individuals from our own personal struggles is still never enough, and this has led to the continuous rising of suicide being committed by Nigerians everyday because they can no longer bear the hunger and sufferings, women are turning to widows and men widowers, children becoming fatherless or motherless all because, parents can no longer bear the pains of watching their children suffering, as a result of not being able to provide a meal for their children.”
According to EDOCSO, “Is it the crime that has increased all over the 36 states including the FCT, everyday we hear and experience kidnapping, armed robbery all over the country, that even the common local farmer, petty trader and mechanics are now being kidnapped in Nigeria in exchange for whatever the kidnappers can scoop for themselves from innocent citizens as ransom.
“The Federal Government has suddenly become somewhat deaf and dumb that they have refused to act or do anything about it, the almighty giant of Africa has suddenly become handicapped.
“Today in our markets, we can not even buy products manufactured locally, even the foods we bring from our local farms, all because the prices of food and all other things are going up every blessed day and the government supposedly has agencies that control market prices, while these agencies watch in their slumber with their hands folded doing nothing to correct these anomalies in the system and yet we say we have a government in Nigeria?
“Citizens get sick in Nigeria today and can’t afford money to buy common paracetamol, there are no health centers or government hospitals to go to by citizens to be attended to with little or no money.
“In some cases, you go to the very limited hospitals and you are not well attended to by professionals because of its shortage, you can’t get drugs from these few hospitals that are available and yet the wife of the president could donate 100,000 dollars to Sierra Leone to build a hospital when we have needs for it here in Nigeria.”
EDOCSO stated that, “We also wants to state here that we are most disappointed in the National House Of Assemblies who have become a puppet in the hand of the executive not knowing the power the constitution gave them to serve the people, unfortunately we have slumbering representatives who originally don’t know why they were sent to the National House of Assemblies.
“They feel it’s their time to enrich themselves at the expense of Nigerians and we think to the extent of their uselessness, they should all go home, so Nigerians can now conveniently know they have a country without legislators.
“Flowing from the above, it is clear of the general sufferings that Nigerians have been plunged into by the federal government since the day of taking over, due to the removal of fuel subsidy without proper plans on ground to ensure the welfare of Nigerians, and of course the further devalue of our Naira till date.
“We say to the Federal Government and president Bola Ahmed Tinubu that he has failed in his responsibilities and agreement reached with Nigerians, in Section 14 subsection 2b and Section 16 subsection 1b of the 1999 Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeriand as such have made the following demands.”
The civil society organisations therefore urged the Federal Government to urgently “put in place all machineries to ensure proper market price regulations to end the current economic hardship in the country,” and also put “all economic processes to give value to our currency be put in place.”
The organisations also demanded that “a proper fair and citizens friendly policies be put in place to ensure economic stability in the country,” and “all security measures to end insecurity be activated immediately.”
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Passengers Escape Death By Whiskers As Bus Burst Into Flames In Lagos

The driver and conductor of a BRT bus have fled for their lives, abandoning passengers to their fate, as a BRT bus caught fire at Maryland, Lagos State, on Saturday morning.
Our correspondent, who was at the scene of the incident, said that the vehicle departed from Ikorodu en route to CMS when the sad incident occurred.
As of the time this report was filed, emergency responders, including officers of the Nigeria Police Force, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), fire services, and local security personnel, arrived at the scene to contain the blaze.
Firefighters at the scene.
One of the passengers on the bus told our correspondent the fire started as smoke from the driver’s side.
According to her, the passengers initially thought the smoke emanated from other buses; however, the slight smoke soon worsened, immediately sending them into panic mode.
“As soon as we saw that the smoke grew bigger, we immediately rushed off the bus before the fire ignited”, she said, adding that none of the passengers sustained any injury.
She added that the driver fled the scene immediately after the fire started.
“The driver and the conductor ran away. They didn’t even wait to see what would happen to us.
“Definitely, they knew what happened. They knew the bus was bad before putting it on the road and risking our lives,” she alleged.
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VOA Halts Operations In Nigeria, Others Over President Trump

The United States-funded Voice of America (VOA) has gone off air in Nigeria, Ghana, Niger, and several other African countries after President Donald Trump cut financial support to the global broadcaster.
The shutdown, first noticed by millions of listeners in northern Nigeria, sparked panic when music began playing in place of scheduled broadcasts, a haunting reminder in the region of military coups or political takeovers.
“People started calling in, worried that there had been a coup in America,” Babangida Jibrin, a journalist who worked with VOA’s now-defunct Hausa-language service was quoted by Daily Trust.
The station’s abrupt disappearance from the airwaves last month left stunned reporters scrambling to explain what had happened to their loyal audience.
VOA’s Hausa service, a lifeline for millions of listeners in rural and conflict-prone areas of Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, and Niger, had become a trusted source of international and regional news, especially in places where local media is either censored, inaccessible, or compromised by state influence.
With internet access unreliable or non-existent in these regions, shortwave and radio broadcasts like VOA filled a crucial void.
“People are now cut off from the world, especially from critical international news,” lamented Moussa Jaharou, a listener from southern Niger.
He described the shutdown as a “deliberate silencing of the poor.”
Founded during World War II to counter Nazi propaganda, VOA later became a major player in Cold War-era broadcasting, offering an American perspective against Soviet disinformation.
Over the decades, it evolved into a beacon of credible journalism worldwide, particularly in authoritarian regions where press freedom is under attack.
In northern Nigeria, where insurgency, banditry, and government corruption are everyday realities, VOA Hausa provided in-depth, unbiased coverage that is often missing in local media.
Its disappearance has now left a gaping hole in a media landscape already struggling with state repression and misinformation.
Critics blame Trump’s ideological war on independent institutions and his administration’s push to dismantle U.S.-backed international media.
The US president slashed VOA’s funding as part of a broader effort to bring the outlet under tighter political control, effectively killing off several regional language services.
It was also reported that over 1,100 “Hands Off!” protests and meetings were scheduled to take place across all 50 states in the U.S. on Saturday.
This was in response to the significant cuts to the federal workforce, reportedly overseen by Trump adviser and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
These nationwide demonstrations aim to voice opposition to the dramatic reductions in the federal workforce, which organisers believe are part of a broader effort to dismantle public services, including Social Security, Medicaid, and public education.
The protests are being organised by a coalition of over 150 organisations, including Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Service Employees International Union, and the American Civil Liberties Union, according to Yahoo News.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them,” the organisers say on their website. “They’re taking everything they can get their hands on, and daring the world to stop them.”
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Police rescue 14 kidnapped passengers of Benue Links

The Benue State Police Command said they rescued 14 passengers of Benue Links Company who were abducted in Otukpo last Thursday.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Steve Yabanet disclosed this in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer (PPRO), CSP Catherine Anene and made available to newsmen in Makurdi on Saturday.
The statement said, “On 3/4/2025 at about 2030hrs a Toyota Hiace bus of Benue Links transport company was conveying passengers from Makurdi to Otukpo, on reaching Otukpo Burnt Bricks area, a gang of armed kidnappers shot sporadically at the driver and a passenger at the front seat, causing the driver to stop on the high way.
“Upon receipt of this information, the police in collaboration with members of the Benue state Civil Protection Guard swiftly moved to the scene and found the driver and one passenger who sustained gunshot injuries in the vehicle while others were whisked away by the kidnappers. The injured were conveyed to the hospital where they were confirmed dead by a doctor.
“The team launched a search for the kidnapped victims within the nearby forest immediately. On 4/4/2025 at about 1500hrs they sighted the bandits in the forest and engaged them in a gun duel. The superior fire power of the police subdued them and they took to their heels abandoning their captives.
“Unfortunately, they had inflicted matchet cuts on two of the victims before the rescue. Fourteen (14) victims were rescued and taken to the hospital where one was confirmed dead and others are currently receiving treatment.
“The Commissioner of Police, Benue state command, CP. Steve Yabanet commiserates with families of the three passengers that lost their lives in this dastardly incident and pledge his commitment to bring perpetuators to book.
“He enjoins the good people of Otukpo to look out for suspects with gunshot injuries and report to the police as many of these bandits received gunshot injuries during the exchange of fire.”
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