Drama As Woman Takes Of Her Clothes In 'Hunger Protest'

An unusual drama unfolded yesterday, as 21-year-old Esther Odozi, a mother of five kids decided to invent a new way of protesting by taking off her clothes at the premises of the Ikeja Magistrates Court in Lagos, saying hunger is "killing her and her children."


"Hunger, hunger!! Government must do something today. I have not received anything from the plenty crude oil money government is spending in our state. Nigerians are wicked," she shouted on top of her voice.

Insisting government must help her before hunger kills her, Esther bared her breasts and was rolling on the floor, saying she left her children at home without food. She laid half-naked on a road in the court. She ignored passersby who shouted at her to cover her body.
A passersby tried to give her N500 but she refused, saying "I don't want your money. I want Fashola (Governor of Lagos State) to give me N200,000" to start a business.

In a chat with Punch, Esther said "After confronting serious hardship in my state, I was advised by an official of Human Rights Commission in Delta State to go to Human Rights Commission in Abuja. I also went to Police Headquarters and NAPTIP in Abuja. They all told me to go to Lagos to get help."

"My husband, Donald Ogbaja, was a retired policeman before he died of hunger. He married me when I was 17. I bore five children, including twins for him."

Esther said she tried to survive on her own by cultivating some crops. She, however, said she was hit by a car in Delta State and had been hindered by her injury to continue working on her farm. She revealed the wounds on her left leg and the right side of her hips.

She said, "I will not leave this court without seeing N200,000 to start business. I want to sell melon and garri. Tell Emmanuel Uduaghan, the governor of my state, and the Federal Government to do something about my condition. They must give me part of the petrol money. I must take care of my five children."

When she was asked that as a young woman, didn't she feel ashamed to bare her breast? She answered, "I don't have anything and I don't have anything to hide anymore."


Source: The Punch


*But why must this type of situation occur in Africa?*