 A group of youths enfy they staged a peaceful protest in Ashokbo, Washington state. They crying the rising cost of living with a call on the government to immediately intervene. The protesters were wielded placards with inscriptions such as, change the unfavorable policies. Nigerians are suffering, we can't cope again. And we are humans, stopped mistreating the citizens among others, assembled along MDS road in Ashokbo very early. Despite the large presence of police operatives near the scene of the protest, the youths kept singing songs expressing the frustration of many Nigerians occasioned by the ash economy. Addressing the protesters, the chairman Ashokbo society's coalition Mr Wahid Lawal said the protest would continue until the further government finds solutions to the current economic action ravaging the country. Joining us to look at this is the chairman Ashokbo society's coalition O.C.S.C. Convict Dr Wahid Lawal and an activist Ayo Logu. Gentlemen, welcome to Plus Politics. Good evening, thank you very much. Convict Lawal, you want to give us the background to what may have instructed the drama that was reportedly put up by yourself and some youths in Ashokbo some days ago. Hello? Alright, thank you very much, thank you for having me once again. What happened in Ashok State last Friday was what you can call the spontaneous reaction of the people of the state, especially the demographic of the youth on the high cost of living and of course the way of governance in Nigeria. Like it hasn't been said, sometimes when issues that have to do with the public happens, especially when it has to do with the standard of living, but when it has to do with the unfavorable conditions of sitting up and in himself by occasion by the policies of government, sometimes it gets to act that if care is not taken, what you have will become a non-organized protest and when that happens it is a call to revolution. For some months now, people of the country have been groaning under very serious ashy. The cost of food and sirens can rocketed. Adley and families are forced to get up on the health of their work. A lot of parents have had to withdraw their children from school to public schools or lesser schools, less than what they were attending. A family cannot even afford to say they want to ride a cab because they cannot afford to rent. All of this put together as really hardship that people of the country and with no essential to people of a short state have been experiencing. But then there have been assurances and several assurances coming from the government. But it gets to the point that assurances will not do it. People want to see action, especially when the ruling class are not showing any signs of empathy. Especially when the ruling class is not showing any sign that they are feeling what the people are feeling and they are cutting codes like there are a few citizens to do. All of this put together was what informed the division of some youth in a short state to eat the streets in the protest. And I then say this, that that protest is different from the customary protest that may have been used to. A lot of time protest have often been organized and led by known activists or society organizations as the case may be. But what happened in a short day last week Friday was not a protest called by the same society organizations in the states or by any activists as any known activists are called. It is a coalition of youth that put themselves together to say, look we cannot continue to bear this. And if the youth can coordinate themselves to do that, we must not forget so strong the experience of this country in the past which was about two years ago. This was the same way it started. Crop of protest in some part of the calling board became a national issue. Now with same protest in Nigeria, we've seen in some part of Lagos, we've seen in some part of Abuja and we've seen in our short state. Each care is not taken. Each government does not do the need to to ensure that the cost of living is brought down as it is it can bring a sigh of relief. I'm afraid that we might be headed for revolution in our hands. Hello, Dr. Lawal. Can you hear me? Can you hear me please? Can you hear me please? Can you hear me? I'm hearing you now. You can hear me now. You used some words that any respectable journalist must question. You used words like spontaneous. You used words like the youths of the United States. And I'm sitting there and I'm thinking oh, it was so spontaneous that somebody like you was around to lead it and speak on behalf of the organizers. Was it as spontaneous or you were privy to the blinding and as, you know, is your civil light anyway, you walked out with them. And why would you need to catch, why would you need to crack it in spontaneity even if you were privy to it. I have to run ideas or something. Can you hear me? I can hear you. Can you hear me? You can hear me. You can hear me, the protest that I led on Friday. The protest that I led on Friday. The protest on Friday was organized by a so huge organization. I was invited as the chairman of so-called civil society coalition. So it was not spontaneous because if you were invited, spontaneity would mean that suddenly, people who are who are disgruntled came on the streets. But it used to be spontaneous. So if it was organized and you were invited, it was organized, it was not spontaneous. I was invited as the chairman of so-called civil society coalition to the protest. And I have to address them. The pains and the hardships that Nigerians are going through now is massive. And the president should do the needful by addressing all these economic crises so that our people will decide or believe that they elected for a renewed hope. Not a renewed action. Okay. That logic is sound. Nobody living in Nigeria today can say that or contradict that. But one just wonders, comment Dr. Waid Lawa. Were you aware that the government was interested, got 2 billion year last December to ameliorate the conditions of Oshun indigenous residents? Yes. We are aware that they gave us 2 billion Naira. And were you also aware that every member of the National Assembly in Oshun, in both chambers, in both chambers of National Assembly, got average of 60 million Naira to buy 2 tenor notes of rice for Oshun indigenous in their constituencies? I only overheard that one. I cannot confirm that. Okay. No, because I engaged some of the members of the National Assembly and some of them denied this. Some denied. So I won't base any allegation on the rumor. When we saw some of their colleagues came on national TV, they were distributing the items in their constituencies and said that it was a largesse that was given to all the representatives in their chambers. So you, you as the chairman of Oshun Civil Society's coalition, you could just take the word of any representative like that and walk away believing them. Nobody invited any of our representatives to any meeting. And Mr. President was wrong to have collected the subsidy from the masses, now give them money to the government officials brought from that they can use to turn this into if they want to get both from the people, they know where they go. Now to give them sugar and relief, they were not connected to the members of the National Assembly. That is wrong. Oh, the members of the National Assembly to the best of our understanding are the premier first representatives of the people of their constituencies. They were the representatives of their constituencies. Ask many of them to ask the deficit their constituency. That doesn't have to be the concern of Mr. President. Mr. President asked his own people that they can turn those things too. So you are not telling me that in your position as the chairman of Oshun Civil Society's coalition, you do not think it is somewhat important to have a mechanism to subject these individuals and the governor that connected two billion more to subject them to form of accountability to making sure making sure that those funds impact positively on their constituents. You don't think you have the responsibility? Whatever he collected on behalf of Oshun Civil Society but it is the president that removes Oshun Civil Society that not all these are not asked by our people. So we don't have to ask Mr. President to deliver our people of these funds and ask it. I am not against you I am not against you lacerating the president for whatever he may have done right or wrongly. I am saying that you live in the federation and the closest funds of government to you or the closest starter of government to you are two levels of government your local government and your state government. And I am sitting there now listening to somebody who ordinarily by the virtue of the title that I see that you are parodying you should be in the now that another Nigerian and I am basically saying that I am listening to a man who may be more predisposed to his tunics than going surgically to attend to the failures of the free starter of government. Rightfully as you are lambasting the president talk to your governor talk to your local governor chairman talk to members of your state answer assembly talk to members of your representatives of the national assembly from your state that would have been more holistic and you would not be seeing to be parodying yourself as because I am sitting there now believing that if you were to be say in an epic state you may not even come out and would be there that your colleagues in other states other southwestern states who are in epic states also come out like you but make sure that the one appeal goes not only to the president who is far away in the budja but to your governors and to your members of the national assembly and state as we are as you are assembly and look at government chairman that is the point I am making do you agree with me I will say that nobody living in Nigeria today can discontent the fact that things are hard and rightfully so people should find mechanisms to let those who are in government be aware that things are hard and rightfully so people should find mechanisms to let those who are in government be aware that things are hard but I am sitting there talking to somebody who is who should be functionally and organically knowledgeable than an average Nigerian because we are the chairman of Oshun Civil Society's Coalition and I am saying rightfully as that protest in Oshubo was conducted on Friday you should also be using the same protest to talk to the governor of Oshun who collected 2 billion Naira in December who have not seen any pictures of palliatives being given to people in Oshun I am also telling you that it is on good record by members of the two chambers of national assembly that the presidency gave them funds to also distribute palliatives to their constituents I want to believe that somebody like this should be lambasting them too I am also saying that local government chairman have gotten as a result of the Oshun Civil Society they have gotten their allocations increased and so I see hypocrisy if rightfully we are lambasting the president who sits in Abuja but we are not lambasting the governor who is with you in Oshubo we are not lambasting the members of those representatives who were elected from constituencies in Oshun state and the senate and we are not lambasting the chairman of Oshun government for leading the people there is a deep of hypocrisy and I am thinking in a word you could do that protest in Oshun state because the party in government in Oshun state is PDP why are not your members in other states controlled in the south west by the NPC why are they not doing the same thing you see the hypocrisy what we are addressing is a national initiative on behalf of our people they will be held accountable but Mr. President is the one that has the power to remove poor subsidy and the removal of poor subsidy cause all the pain and agony that we are facing in Nigeria and now simply the president addressing the president there is no government that has the right to remove the subsidy that is the authority to do that comment Dr. Waid Lawa want to believe that any reasonable Nigerian believe that it is within your constitutional right and the constitutional right of those who came out that we addressed on Friday to do what you did nobody can discourage that but also by virtue of the responsibility incumbent on me on this seat also I should also let you see that we have a value chain of iniquity in leadership in Nigeria on the one hand if you are rightfully lambasting the president you must be looking at a governor who connected two billion and you must also be talking to look at government chairman whose fork allocations have gone up by about 300% and you must also be looking at the members of the two chambers of the national assembly that is the point are making and I really want us to agree in so much as I have agreed on your right to protest okay we will wrap up the first segment and move to the second segment of the show after this this shat kamashu