News
Banks Shut, Roads Deserted As #EndBadGovernance Protest Begins Nationwide
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
From FCT to Port Harcourt to Lagos State, banks, and businesses have been shut.
The roads are unusually deserted as protesters defy last-minute push by authorities to stop the demonstrations.
The usually bustling roads in Kaduna are empty and deserted as protesters take to the streets to express their grievances over poor living conditions.
Banks, markets, and business establishments are closed in Owerri as protesters have not yet arrived.#EndBadGovernanceProtest
The popular Ahmadu Bello Way located in the Central Business District of the Kaduna State capital is empty without the usual vehicular and human traffic.
On a normal day, this place would have been bubbling with economic activities by this time, but not at all today.
Public transportation systems are operating at reduced capacity because most commuters are staying indoors apparently due to fear.
In the Sokoto metropolis, there is a heavy security presence. It is the same thing in Damaturu the Yobe State capital. Residents of the area have shunned the protest.
At the proposed protest venue in Bauchi, opposite the School of Agriculture in Yelwan Labourer, there are no protesters as of now. Security personnel are on the ground to ensure the safety of lives and properties. The streets in Kano are empty while shops around the area are heavily guarded. But at the Zoo Road area in Kano State, people are chanting “Mu yunwa muke ji” meaning “we are hungry”.
The DPO of the police station in Alausa, Lagos has come to address the group.
She has asked the protesters to go to Gani Fawehinmi Park to air their grievances as Alausa is not the designated location
In Lagos State, a group of protesters are rallying against the demonstrations. They were in the Alausa area of the state but security operatives told them that the place is not designated for protest. At the Ikeja Underbridge, there is a procession.
They are marching from Ikeja Underbridge, en route to Alausa despite orders against street protest.
At the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja. The protesters (numbering about 50) are gathered at the entrance of the facility.
Some of the demonstrators in Port Harcourt recite the old national anthem as their form of protest
Among the protesters are members of the “Enough Is Enough” group. One of the co-convener, Deji Adeyanju says security officials have been cooperative so far with them.
There is a sizeable deployment of security personnel at the stadium, comprising police, army, and others.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate implementation of the revised procurement thresholds for Ministries, Departments and Agencies [MDAs].
The approval is based on the recommendation by the Director General of Bureau for Public Procurement [BPP] Dr Adedokun Adebowale, in alignment with the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The details of the implementation guidelines will be provided by the DG of the BPP on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has removed a foreign national, Elie Bitar, from the wanted list for Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX) fraud.
The anti-graft agency had on April 30 declared Bitar wanted over the alleged fraud perpetrated on the CBEX trading platform.
The EFCC included Bitrar’s name in the wanted notice it published across social media platforms.
The agency, in a now deleted post on its X handle signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, said Bitar’s last known address was in the Lekki Phase 1 area of Lagos State.
However, in a statement issued on Wednesday EFCC spokesperson said Bitar’s name has been removed from the wanted list, citing the availability of new information.
“Ellie Bitar of CBEX Solutions Ltd., who was earlier declared wanted, has since been removed from the list owing to new information that does not support his inclusion in the wanted person’s list.
“The Commission is making good progress in its investigations. Law enforcement agencies across the world are collaborating with it in tracking and arresting all the wanted persons. The EFCC will not relent in bringing every actor involved in the fraudulent dealings to book,” the statement read in part.
According to Oyewale, the anti-graft agency is “gaining important ground” in the search for the eight persons declared wanted over the CBEX fraud.
Several videos online had shown some Nigerians raising the alarm over the loss of their funds to the CBEX scheme when it reportedly crashed in April.
As part of its investigations into the matter, the EFCC had declared eight persons wanted over their alleged involvement in a fraudulent scheme linked to the online trading platform.
The Federal High Court in Abuja also granted the agency’s request to arrest and detain persons found promoting the CBEX scheme.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of forest guards and commencement of their employment to secure the 1,129 forests in the country.
In a statement on Wednesday, presidential spokesperson, Sunday Dare, revealed that the President directed that the forest guards are to be well trained and armed to perform their duties, which is essentially to flush out terrorists and criminal gangs hiding inside the forests for criminal activities.
According to Dare, the recruitment is a security collaborative effort between the federal and state governments.
“The office of the NSA and the Ministry of Environment have been directed to take charge and ensure full implementation,” he said.
The presidential spokesperson said thousands of young Nigerians are expected to be employed as personnel of the outfit.
“President Tinubu had warned terrorists that his administration would not surrender an inch of the country’s territory to terrorists, bandits, and other criminal gangs operating inside the forests. President Tinubu vowed that the country would take back its forests,” he said.
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