2nd Day of #EndBadGovernance Protest in Port Harcourt. People vow to block the Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway
Protesters who started at the Pleasure Park along the Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway Port Harcourt today, Friday.
* Police plead for free flow of traffic
Okafor Ofiebor/ Port Harcourt
Scores of protesters in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital, on the second today Friday of nationwide protests, first gathered at the Pleasure Park along Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway, Port Harcourt where they later marched to the Federal Secretariat.
Reports also indicate that the Protesters were already marching from Pleasure Park down to the Federal Secretariat where they intended to hold a rally. There are indications from the protesters that they intend to block the Hotel Presidential section of the road and advised commuters to find alternative routes.
Our correspondent reports that business activities have kicked off, and many shops and markets have opened.
However, some banks and big shopping malls are yet to open for business.
Although all the public and private schools have closed for the academic session, tertiary institutions like the University of Port Harcourt, UNIPORT, Rivers State University, RSI, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education and Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic in Port Harcourt are busy academic session. None of the students are engaged in protests.
A visit to the Rumuokoro branches of Access, Guaranty Trust Bank, Fidelity, FCMB, UBA, First Bank and Zenith Bank showed that none of them opened for business today.
Also, in the Rumuodomaya Special Area Command of the Police which shares a boundary with the Obio-Akpor local government council secretariat, it was observed that officers men were relaxed.
At ever busy Rumuokoro market this morning, there was a beehive of activities, while commercial vehicles were seen loading passengers to convey them to their various destinations.
So far, from yesterday when the protest started, there has not been any record of violence even at the time of filing this report.
As the Protesters were marching on the Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway, they were confronted by members of the Counter Terrorism Unit of the Rivers Police Command who asked them to clear the way for motorists to ease traffic, but they refused. The Protesters who were merely carrying branches of trees and twigs burst into songs like” How many them do…? How many of them go kill? started dancing as they continued their march.
One of the Protesters who spoke said with a megaphone said: “Today we’ll block Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway and nothing will happen.
“Una de hungry abi una nor dey hungry?” And they chorused “We dey hungry”(Are you people hungry or not? They chorused”We’re hungry”.
He, however, cautioned that they were on a peaceful protest and no violence. So that miscreants will not hijack the exercise giving room for Police to forcefully disperse them.
