From Uche Usim, Abuja
Thousands of men, women and youths from across the country, yesterday, converged on Abuja to protest the continuous fall of the naira and the parlous state of the economy.
The protesters marched across various streets in Abuja and finally terminated their movement at the headquarters of the National Television Authority (NTA).
The protesters lambasted the Federal Government for “verbally” revamping the economy as the masses have perennially remained in penury.
The protesters, armed with placards with various inscriptions said the scathing state of the nation’s economy had forced many families to feed from the garbage of hotels and eateries.
Condemning the state of the economy, Ondo State Women Leader of Yoruba Frontier, Mrs Folake Melody said the economic climate in the country has forced many married women into prostitution.
“Many homes have broken down. Many wives have turned to prostitutes. Women now sell their children to feed.
“Children now wait for leftovers at parties to eat. You see them rummaging through garbage heaps to eke a living. We’ve never had it this bad. It is not only those in IDP camps that are suffering. The masses are really hurt. What is President Buhari doing? Who are those managing this economy? This is just too bad,” she added.
Another group, Banex Youth Association, led by Yaro Abdul said the continuous crash of the naira has forced many companies to close shops thereby throwing thousands of youths into the already saturated job market.
“Today, it was N520 to a US dollar. Companies where we were employed flushed us out because it packed up. We have worked for about a year now. They want to force us into crime,” he said.
The protesters, it was gathered, came from four geo-political zones of the country.