"Breaking News" Absence Hit Benin Fuel Protest

   Shot from a trending online scene of a          bonfire at Sapele Road


By Bernadette Idalu
Despite a widely shared online call for the organized peaceful civil protest in Benin City, against government due to failure to make fuel readily available and selling at designated pump price, there was a marked absence of the outcome and use of "Breaking news," in reportage to highlight this protest.

The protest, staged to fight hardships, based on long queues for fuel, selling above designated pump price, between four hundred to seven hundred naira per litre in Benin and it's environs, came up as people battled individually to meet up with the new ten day deadline for change and use of the new naira notes. 

Unlike the End SARS protest where the media space was filled with  massive reportage of the protest as it happened in different designated areas, spiced by the attempt to add colour and keep up with trends for accuracy, reports today were different. They didn't eat up online media space/chat groups where prior notice of event was passed. 
Netizens and bloggers however had a field day posting and sharing videos of the protest and events as witnessed in their areas. Tweets were also sent out to update on emanating issues.

At the Sapele road axis of Benin City for instance, a video on happenings trended which showed youths making a bonfire from tyres in protest. There was also an influx of cars bearing fresh leaves which avoided use of main roads through crossing adjoining streets to connect to destinations.

Before the protest, few persons had been observed to be showing physical signs of stress and tiredness, including a case of a man who was said to have gone down with a sudden cardiac arrest haven spent the whole day at a fueling station.

Incidentally, as early as 6:am, some civil servants were already at their bus stops heading to work to beat the 7:am timeline for protest to avoid being trapped in protests as well as avoid a possible job loss.



 

 



 


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