Naira, Fuel Scarcity protest breaks out in Ondo

From Tosin Tope, Akure

Despite the warning by the police, some residents of Ondo State are currently staging a protest to express their grievances over the scarcity of fuel and the new naira notes.

The protesters, who have already grounded the busy Ore/Benin expressway, also prevented vehicular and human movement on the routes.

Daily Trust gathered that many motorists and commuters have been forced to use alternative roads.

One of the protesters, Adebimbe Ogunyemi, told our reporter that the recent hardship ravaging the country, especially the scarcity of petrol, forced them to troop the streets.

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“This protest is a signal to the government that the masses are suffering. No fuel. No naira notes. We are experiencing a queue to get everything. It’s becoming unbearable for us,” Mr. Ogunyemi said.

The police had asked residents in the state not to embark on any protest on the streets to demonstrate the lingering fuel scarcity and hoarding of the new naira notes by commercial banks.

Mr. Oyeyemi Oyediran, the Ondo Commissioner of Police, who gave the warning at a stakeholders’ meeting on Monday, had said any action or inaction of the protesters could lead to a breach of peace in the state.

Mr Oyediran noted that the Command was aware of a plan by some angry residents most especially the youths in the state to embark on a protest as a way of showcasing their grievances towards the nationwide fuel scarcity.

There is a nationwide outrage over scarcity of the naira notes and unavailability of fuel.