August 01, (THEWILL) – Government and commercial activities are going on smoothly in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, as residents complied with the plea of Governor Hyacinth Alia not to partake in the protest against hunger and economic hardship in the country.
At the Federal and State Secretariats, civil servants were seen attending to visitors on call, while commercial banks were open for business, and motorcyclists were ferrying people to their destinations unhindered.
At Benue Links, Duku, New Nyanya, Pleasure Travels and Yaman parks, activities were ongoing as passengers were boarding vehicles to various destinations in the North and Southern parts of the country.
Newspaper vendors at High Level, Wurukum, Wadata and North Bank areas in Makurdi also opened their shops for business, while beer parlour and food vendors were not left out of business.
Benue State House of Assembly staff were also seen at their duty post waiting for the day’s plenary session, with the construction of underpass work at High Level, Makurdi going on smoothly.
While security forces stationed their vehicles at strategic points for any eventuality, others were seen patrolling the streets, especially in areas like Wadata.
A vendor, who said he has not witnessed any form of molestation by security agents, however, noted that he witnessed low patronage as people did not come out in the early hours of the day.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to take urgent steps towards addressing issues raised by the protesters, noting that in Benue, residents have shown understanding by complying with the plea of Governor Alia to shun the protest.
“It does not mean we are not hungry. Something urgent must be done to reduce the fuel prices and foodstuff in the market for us common men to survive with our families,” he stated.
Efforts to get the views of the Police Public Relations Officer for Benue State Command, SP Sewuese Anene, failed but an officer said there was no case of arrest as they patrol the streets at the time of filing this report.
