Julius Okorie
Nigerians have accused telecom companies of doing everything they can to scuttle the ongoing protest,#EndBadGovernance, over hardship in the country.
Nigerians woke up on the morning of the planned protest, 1st August 2024, to behold an usually very poor network connections, the idea according to some respondents is not unconnected with a deliberate attempt to ensure that protesters are not coordinated enough to effectively achieve the aim of making their voices heard and force government to be responsive to the plight of the people.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelReacting to the poor network situation some vow to bet that the disruption of network is deliberate even as some threatened that after the hardship protest the next will be against partisan stand of telecom providers.
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Oremilekan Oye in his reaction said “I am willing to bet that the network issues we are all having is very deliberate.”
However , contrary to believe that it may be deliberate because of protest, industry sources linked the slow service which began Thursday, to damaged fibre and external sabotage.
“A fibre manhole of one of the operators was set ablaze along Lekki Epe Expressway”one source said.
Some subscribers say that using a VPN has helped their network quality and speed especially for X. “Save yourself the stress, just use VPN”@ Toriah_tweeted.
Meanwhile, despite attempts by government and its agents and collaborators to prevent the planned protest, Nigerians still trooped out in their numbers to protest.
Pictures emerging from Ojota, in Lagos, indicate massive turnout with equally massive security presence at the venue.
Reports from other parts of the country, including Abuja, Aba and Port Harcourt all show compliance with the protest.
There are strong indications that more people may join as the day progresses. In Port Harcourt the people still trooped out despite a heavy downpour.
Some of the protesters were seen in the rain chanting songs and delivering their messages. Latest report indicate that tear gas have been fired at the Eagles Square in Abuja to scare away protesters.
The court had earlier asked protesters to use the National Stadium. A good number of protesters have since been protesting at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja as early as 8am.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
