“If the people want to protest & cry to their government, let them” – Comedian Mr Macaroni

Mr Macaroni, a Nigerian comedian and activist, has attacked the government’s response to the recent #endbadgovernance protests, saying authorities are disrupting peaceful protests.

On August 1, 2024, the enraged activist took to X and commented to SP Benjamin Hundeyin’s post, in which he claimed that the protesters in Lagos State were peaceful. In his lengthy statement, Macaroni lashed out the police, claiming that they attacked peaceful protesters instead of sponsored thugs.

He stated in part, “This is proof that the protests are always peaceful and with good intentions until state-sponsored thugs are sent to disrupt the protests. The police, in their complicity, will ignore the infiltrators and start to attack peaceful protesters. This is how it happens not only in Lagos but in other states in the country.”

He compared the current scenario to the ENDSARS protests in 2020, noting that the government frequently attempts to distort history.

“At the end of the day, the government will then attempt to rewrite history as if it didn’t happen before our very eyes. This is exactly how it happened with EndSars and the records will forever be there to point at the real enemies of Nigeria who unleashed terror and mayhem in our society,” he added.

Mr Macaroni also criticized the presence of anti-protesters, who threatened and attacked peaceful demonstrators. He pondered: “Isn’t it crazy that the same people who protested peacefully are now trying to stop others from doing the same thing?”

He emphasized, “If people want to protest and cry out to the government, let them. How can the government keep punishing people and then tell them they can’t complain? The government should protect peaceful protesters, but instead, it’s the same government that’s causing the problems.”