By Hussein Olanrewaju
Residents from communities across Ogun State on Thursday staged a barefoot protest at the Governor’s Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, demanding urgent action on poor infrastructure, multiple taxation and grassroots development.
The protesters, mobilised under the Make Ogun State Great Again (MOGA) movement, came from communities including Ota, Sango, Ijoko, Abule Aro, Lambe, Akute, Papalanto, Iyana Iyesi, Orimerunmu, Ago Adura and Onibuku.
Speaking at the secretariat, MOGA convener Olawoye Kayode said the decision to march barefoot was intended to symbolise the hardship being experienced by residents.
“Our bare feet represent our hardship. We walked barefoot today because your government has left us bare,” Olawoye said.
He also criticised the condition of roads in parts of the state, particularly around Sango, Ota, Akute and Ijoko, while raising concerns over what he described as multiple taxation imposed on small traders and transport workers.
The group presented four demands to the state government: immediate rehabilitation of neglected roads and increased funding for grassroots communities; a review of multiple taxation; a transparent framework for the allocation of state revenues and federal allocations to local communities; and measures to strengthen the financial autonomy of local government councils.
Describing the protest as peaceful, Olawoye urged the government to respond to the concerns raised by residents.
Receiving the protesters, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, AIG Olushola Zubair (retd.), commended them for their peaceful conduct and assured them that their message would be conveyed to Governor Dapo Abiodun.
