The deployment of soldiers to Gani Fawehnmi Freedom Park in Ojota, Lagos is another pointer to the fact that Nigeria is still not yet a democratic country. There is nothing like popular government in the country.

  Prior to 16th January 2012, Nigerians gathered at the park o protest the fuel price hike peacefully with what can be described as pomp and pageantry still of protest where popular musicians like Femi Kuti, Wasiu Ayinde, Abass Obesre, Orishafemi, Daddy Showkey and others added spice to the protest by trilling them with their songs. A look at the venue hardly showed any suffering my Nigerian masses. It was a concert like. Nigerians in thousands came out to protest their ‘suffering’ while still ‘smiling’.  Nobody was armed with anything to inflict injuries on anybody or to disturb any peace. Instead one innocent young man called Adeyemi was gunned down by a policeman for simply exercising his right to protest.

    The labour leader succumbed to the pressure from the federal government by calling off strike action on Monday 16th January, the same day government sent troops to Lagos street to stop people from exercising their rights. The so called Labour Union connived with the Federal Government to betray the Nigerian masses by this singular action.

   In his speech on the same day, Jonathan threw jabs on opposition by accusing them of hijacking the protest in other to incite people to call for regime change. The opposition didn’t wait to respond by denying such accusation when their leader, Pastor Tunde Bakare told the whole world that the call was never for a regime change but a total call for policy change and fight against corruption.

    A cursory look the politico-economic situation in Nigeria shows that the federal government-led by a former teacher and academician- is not ready to listen to the voice of reasoning by addressing the plight of the masses who are tired of directionless administration of government. They only put all blames on the door step of the opposition. There is a case of insurgent Boko Haram to tackle but they now face the harmless protesters who are just exercising their political rights.

  Nigerians have metamorphosed from; siddon look’ to ‘quick action’ whenever there is a matter of national interest. They are tired of promises that exist only on papers. They are tired of frauds being perpetrated by powers-that-be who went round from door to door to beg for people’s votes but turned out to served their own interest in office. Young Nigerians are voicing out their dissatisfaction in the way our economy is being run. Our leaders have lost the thought with the grassroots where thy got their votes and they must dearly pay for it.  

  Nigerians are not against deregulation of oil sector but corruption. When Jonathan talked about initial hardships that accompany removal of subsidy, he forget to say what will make us believe that such hardship won’t by permanent. Babangida started the subsidy hardships in 1986 with the price of fuel rising from three naira fifty kobo to five naira and the country has been suffering for the whole twenty six years!

   Jonathan also promised that his government will respect people’s rights to protest but he denied us of this right the same day by sending troops to Lagos streets to sop us from protesting. Her also promised us of subsidy investment and empowerment project but somebody should remind him that his last year employment scheme, YOUWIN, that he spent fifty billion on last year is now moribund. His promise of dealing with contributors of economic adversity is a cock an d bull story because most of them are ‘fingers’ that ‘feed’ him, therefore it will be very hard to bite them. They wield much political power!

     Though election that brought Jonathan to power was absolutely free and fair, but he has disappointed the voters that voted for him by not being a listening president. His military action in Lagos is totally unacceptable. His has acquired military mentality because he was installed by military styled and trained politicians. This is definitely not good for our democracy!