Nigerians in New York City Speak Out In Support of Occupy Nigeria

Over 150 Nigerian activists
and their supporters
stormed the Nigerian
Consulate in New York
yesterday to protest the
removal of the oil subsidy
by the government of
President Goodluck
Jonathan.
In a rally tagged Occupy-
Nigeria, New York,
activists carrying placards
and singing protest songs
decrying government
withdrawal of the fuel
subsidy swamped the
walkway in front of the
Nigeria House. The group
of old and young Nigerians
condemned the insensitivity
of the government to the
plight of the masses.
Speakers at the event
included Sun Newspaper
columnist, Okey Ndibe;
Guardian newspaper
columnist, Sonala
Olumhense; the publisher of
Saharareporters, Omoyele
Sowore, the Bureau Chief of
the Guardian newspaper,
Laolu Akande; former
president of the OAU
Students’ Union, Adeleke
Olanrewaju, Jubilee
activist, Affiong Affiong and
the publisher of African
Abroad newspaper, Alex
Kabba. They were agreed
that the situation in Nigeria
is a watershed in the
history of the country, and
that Nigerians must seize
the opportunity to ensure
that the evils which
characterize society and
politics in Nigeria are
exorcised once and for all.
The event was organized
by the Nigerian Democratic
Liberty Forum (NDLF),
headed by Dr. Adegboyega
Dada and Bokola Oreofe.
The NDLF, which had called
the subsidy removal “ill-
advised and inhuman,”
demanded that the Nigerian
government revert to the
old price of fuel and
investigate the practices of
petroleum products
importers and distributors,
as well as the government
bureaucracy which
supports their nefarious
activities.
While the issue of the fuel
subsidy removal was the
natural starting point of the
protest, other grievances
concerning the socio-
economic conditions in
Nigeria were quickly
brought forward, including
the astounding N1billion
allocated in the 2012
budget for the food needs
of the Nigeria presidency.
Protesters were united that
such a provision alone was
an indication of the depth of
the rot in Nigerian politics
and ethics.
“The U.S. government pays
President Obama $400,000
a year and out of that,
Obama pays for his own
food,” commented columnist
Okey Ndibe before the
crowd.
“This is our opportunity to
reclaim our country,” he
said.
In his speech, Mr. Akande
urged the protesters to be
steadfast and not be
deceived by the
misinformation coming out of
the government’s PR
machine. “We have to make
the point that Jonathan
owes Nigerians, not the
IMF.”
Pan-Africanist and veteran
activist, Affiong Affiong ,
emphasized that the fuel
subsidy removal could not
be the only issue at hand,
but Nigerians must fight to
avoid ethnic sentiments.
“The blame of what is
happening in Nigeria today
is ours, not that of our
leaders…it is you and I that
accept the lies of religion
and tribalism,” Affiong
asserted. “Show me your
people and I will show you
your leaders.”
It was a chilly day as
Nigerians assembled
bravely to demonstrate
solidarity with the Occupy
Nigeria movement. Also at
the rally were a few people
from Occupy Wall Street
(OWS), including Jose
Martin, an organizer who
also spoke to Nigerians
and expressed the support
of OWS for Occupy Nigeria.
“You have inspired us to
do what we do and that is
why Occupy Wall Street will
be joining Occupy Nigeria,”
said Jose Martin, speaking
about the intentions of OWS
to join the Nigerian protest
this afternoon. OWS will
convene in New York City’s
Times Square to mark the
10th anniversary of the
opening of Guatanamo Bay,
and then march to Nigeria
House.
The climax of yesterday’s
rally came when a fictional
President Goodluck
Jonathan made an
appearance. The fictional
Jonathan, from the popular
SaharaTV Dr. Damages
Show, entertained the
audience by offering them
cassava bread. He
answered questions from
the crowd but was also
pelted with eggs by people
who disagreed with his
poor answers to questions
asked of him.
Many speakers urged the
rally to never let up until
the Nigerian people regain
control of their political
space.
“For those who know but
do not care and those who
care but do not know,
Nigeria is a failed Nation
that works for the very
people who failed it,” said
Rudolf Okonkwo.
“Our job,” he stressed,
“is to stop Nigeria from
working for those who
failed it.’