Protesters in the northern city of Kano poured out again on Wednesday despite panicky measures taken by Governor Kwankwaso to get labor leaders to suspend staging a street procession, but labor leaders sensed the danger of being perceived as sellouts and therefore reached a compromise with the state government to avoid going around the city.
The protest was conducted by staging an orderly procession that took off from “Liberation Square,” terminating at the fly-over of the Western Bye-Pass along Zaria Road. All roads leading to the Kano Government House was barricaded and manned by a combined team of heavily armed anti-riot police, military and other paramilitary guards.
The Government House was cordoned off and several hundreds of government sponsored thugs were seen ferociously guarding the walls and gates while the police looked on. Despite the peaceful conduct of the processions, most of the protesters expressed disgust at the announcement made by the national body of the Nigerian Labor Congress and the Trade Union Congress, in which the suspension of the strike action was announced.
Most participants of the protests regard the Labor Union’s announcement as a betrayal, considering that Kano made the highest sacrifice by losing the lives of not less than 12 youths in the wake of the Mass Action majority of protesters did not share NLC’s line of reasoning, they vow to continue with the protests with or without approval of Labor Union.
There is a series of meeting been held at the moment at one of the Conference Hall of Bayero University Kano (BUK) where the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) and other professional bodies together some civil society organizations are reviewing issues and considering the next line of action, probably distancing Kano from NLC’s suspension of the strike.
There is every likelihood that in Kano, the strike would continue. The said meeting at the university campus rose at 7pm – and the Kano State NLC chairman addressed the press – indicating that the national body of the NLC did not consult with the Kano State chapter prior to agreeing to call of the strikes and protests. The State Chairman, Malam Dangogoya reinstated that the mass protest and strike will continue in Kano State until the federal government reverses back to the N65 per liter demand that the NLC had original laid on the table.