– Balarebe Musa, Col.Ahmed Ali, Comrade Shehu Sani, Festus Okoye lead protest
By Haruna Salami, Kaduna
Business and office activities in Kaduna were paralyzed Monday due as a result of the nationwide strike action and protests by individuals and labor organizations against the subsidy removal in the downstream oil sector.
The protests which were devoid of religion, ethnic, gender and cultural affiliations had people come out in their hundreds of thousands to press home their demand against the decision of the federal government in the deregulation of the down stream of the petroleum sector of the Nigerian economy.
Kaduna protest was lead by the labour leaders, the former governors of Kaduna State, Hameed Ali and Balarebe Musa, human right activist Comrade Shehu Sani, Festus Okoye among other notable personalities who turned out in their numbers to join angry youths to say no to the subsidy removal.
Another group of the protest was led by the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Kaduna chapter who came out in their suits with banners saying no to the subsidy removal.
The protest was however turning violent as angry youths were determined to make their way into Sir Kashim House (government house),Kaduna except for the intervention of security men who deterred them with tear gas from entering the government house.
Determined as the angry protesters were, they remained at the government house gate chanting anti subsidy removal songs with placards carrying various write ups.
Some of the write ups reads; ‘Bama so sai N65, no more bad government, Chanji dole, remove corruption and leave subsidy, Bad-luck Jonathan, Namadi/Jonathan worst than Boko Haram, Muslim/Christians are one Jonathan is the problem among others.
Leadership check across Kaduna metropolis shows that all the banks, market and public places were shut down while those who opened their shops within their houses were advised to close their shops to avoid miscreants taking undue advantage of the situation.
Armed security men in their multitude were also seen around strategic places watching and ensuring that peace and order is maintained by the protesters.
Some of the protesters forced passersby to proclaim “chanji dole, Sai Buhari” (meaning there must be a change; it must be Buhari ) and carrying leaves on their vehicles as part of solidarity in the protest.
Most transporters volunteered their trucks to convey protesters from one venue of protest to another; and even the disabled were not left out in the protest with women carrying their babies protesting the subsidy removal.
Security men however blocked several areas and prevented the protesters from following such routes to avoid the situation turning into chaos.
