The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has announced a major nationwide protest set to commence on September 15, 2024.
The planned demonstration aims to paralyze major cities across Nigeria in response to recent fuel price increases and dissatisfaction with the leadership of Mele Kyari, the Director General of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
NANS is demanding an immediate reversal of the fuel price hike and the removal of Mele Kyari from his position. The student union has pledged that the protest will be conducted peacefully and within legal boundaries.
In preparation for the protest, NANS has informed several security agencies, including the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Chief of Defence Staff, and all state governors, ensuring they are aware of the planned disruption.
A circular distributed to stakeholders outlines NANS’s stance: “We write to notify you of an impending massive shutdown of all major cities in Nigeria, effective 15th September 2024, in protest of the recent hike in fuel prices and the gross incompetence of the NNPC Director General, Mele Kyari.”
The circular continues, “The incessant increase in fuel prices has brought untold hardship to the masses, and we can no longer stand idly by while our future is mortgaged by the actions of a few. We demand an immediate reversal of the fuel price hike and the removal of Mr. Kyari as the NNPC DG.”
NANS has called upon Nigerian students nationwide to join the protest, stating, “We call on all Nigerian students across the country to wake up to this clarion call, as we will be occupying all major cities on the 15th of September, 2024. We shall not be silenced, and we shall not be intimidated. We shall rise in unison to demand a better deal for Nigerian students and the masses.”
The association also urged security agencies to take necessary measures to maintain law and order during the protest, assuring them that the demonstration will remain peaceful and lawful.
