The 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has called for a revolution by revolting.
Sowore made this call in response to the popular coinage of President Bola Tinubu, who made the statement “let the poor breathe” during an interview earlier in July.
According to the context of the interview, Tinubu made this statement to mean that the government must implement policies and do all to ensure the masses in the country live a better life.
The statement which was also borrowed by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, during plenary last week, was heavily criticized, as Nigerians took it to mean he was mocking the nation in its current plight.
Akpabio has, however, come out to state clearly that he only intended to control the electricity tariff which the governing body planned on increasing.
The nation has since the Inauguration of Tinubu experienced a persistent hike in petroleum products, especially, after his statement, “fuel subsidy is gone!” during his swearing-in.
Petrol had since gone from N198 to as high as N700 in some parts of the country. This has also had a ripple effect on prices of other commodities, with biting effects on the citizens whose minimum wage can no longer afford basic amenities.
Sowore, in a tweet on Monday, borrowed the coinage, however, he wrote, “Let the poor revolt, since they won’t let them breathe! #RevolutionNow.”
Recall that, Sowore is the convener of the RevolutionNow movement, which started during the regime of former President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.). A movement geared towards making demands from the government of the day for the citizens.
This call may be in alignment with that of the Nigerian Labour Congress, whose president, Joe Ajaero, had declared a nationwide strike beginning from Wednesday, August 2.
Meanwhile, the Presidency has on Monday stated that Tinubu would address the nation by 7pm on Monday to clearly state the plans his administration has towards cushioning the effect of the fuel subsidy removal.
