- The Take It Back Movement has scheduled a nationwide demonstration for August 5 to protest rising living costs, insecurity, and the shrinking democratic space in Nigeria.
- Key demands outlined by the organizers include the implementation of a N500,000 national minimum wage, immediate measures to curb soaring inflation, and the repeal of the Cybercrime Act used against dissenters.
- Group National Coordinator Juwon Sanyaolu urged citizens, workers, and students to peaceful mobilization, insisting that democratic rights and public safety remain non-negotiable.
Civic advocacy group, the Take It Back Movement, has officially declared plans to hold a nationwide protest on August 5, 2026, tagged the “Festival of the Oppressed,” citing widespread economic hardship, rising insecurity, and severe political repression across the country.
Eko Hot Blog reports that in an official statement released on Wednesday by the movement’s National Coordinator, Juwon Sanyaolu, the organization called on citizens across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to join the peaceful demonstration.
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The group highlighted the worsening socio-economic situation, noting that the removal of fuel subsidies and the devaluation of the naira have triggered historic inflation, leaving millions of working Nigerians unable to afford food and basic necessities.
The movement also raised alarms over the security situation in regions such as Borno, Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, Plateau, Oyo, Kaduna, and Benue, where communities continue to suffer from armed attacks and kidnapping.
Furthermore, the statement condemned the government’s reliance on the Cybercrime Act to suppress dissent, accusing security agencies of harassing journalists, activists, students, and citizens for exercising free speech.
Outline of Key Demands:
- Immediate implementation of a N500,000 national minimum wage for workers.
- Concrete interventions to reduce the cost of living and crash essential commodity prices.
- Comprehensive repeal of the Cybercrime Act and unconditional release of political detainees.
- Withdrawal of charges against activist Omoyele Sowore.
- Removal of Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Tosin Ajayi.
The group described the upcoming demonstration not merely as a protest, but as a collective platform for workers, market women, youth, and civil society groups to demand structural governance reforms and economic relief.
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