Abuja man spends 24 hours on top of telecoms mast to force President to resign

A resident of Abuja, identified as Nura Ilyasu, attempted to force President Muhammadu Buhari to resign from office after climbing a telecoms mast to protest for 24 hours.

According to a report by Sahara Reporters, Ilyasu climbed a mast with the approval number AB0099 belonging to Airtel Nigeria, located a few metres away from the Presidential Villa on Wednesday, September 12, 2018.

Before he climbed the mast, he had distributed a flyer to explain his grievances, saying that he was ready to sacrifice his life for the country to get better.

"I am on hunger strike to protest and register my grievances on the condition of the country; I will remain here for the next seven days and I do not mind if I die here.

"If my dying on this mast will change the economy of this country, then I choose to die for others to live a good life," he said on Wednesday.

Despite the efforts of security officials to get him down the mast, Ilyasu vowed not to descend until President Buhari resigned from the office and dropped his second term ambition.

However, 24 hours after he climbed the mast, Ilyasu descended from it at 11:25am on Thursday, September 13, after he reached an agreement with security officials to allow him talk to the media.

Buhari does not deserve 2nd term - Ilyasu

Ilyasu said he embarked on the protest to fight against presidential impunity and the willingness of Nigerians to accept President Buhari's misrule.

He said Buhari does not deserve another four years in office and should easily be replaced by one of his oponents in the 2019 presidential election.

He said, "My name is Nura Ilyasu. I am 28 years old. What I did is within the purview of the law. My human right is to protest peacefully and I never threatened my life or any other person

"What we are going through in this country is not from God. Some microscopic-view individuals hijacked all that God endowed Nigeria with for decent life, and we can't continue like this.

"I climbed up for seven days hunger strike to protest the incompetence and cluelessness, to protest presidential impunity and general docility displayed by the masses. We can't continue like this.

"Other competent candidates are there; even Saraki, Atiku, Kwankwaso, Tambuwal, Dankwambo and others. At least one of these (men) will make a good President.

"I don't believe General Buhari deserves another four-year term in Nigeria because the pervasive hunger and poverty in Nigeria is inexplicable."

Ilyasu assured that he does not suffer from any sort of mental disorder as has been suggested to have been the cause of his protest action. He was later taken away by security officials.