Mass protests begin in Nigeria over economic hardship, food crisis

LAGOS, Nigeria

Thousands of protesters marched Thursday in major cities in Nigeria to demand “immediate action” on the country's economic hardship, food crisis and inflation.

Protests began early in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial hub, despite a move by the government to stop demonstrations.

The crowd, mostly youths and human rights activists, marched to the city center and business areas of Ikeja, Ojota and Ojodu, while chanting: "We're hungry, don't kill us, enough of hunger and hardship, anti-poor policies, end hardship now!"

One protester, Idowu Salako told Anadolu that demonstrators are "tired of anti-government policies." He condemned the cost of governance amid inflation. "President (Bola Ahmed) Tinubu should cut down the number of ministers, appointees," he demanded as he raised a sign with a handwritten inscription: “#EndBadGovernanceInNigeriaNow.”

In the nation’s capital of Abuja, Adams Asmau, a coordinator of the Take Back Nigeria movement and an organizer of the protests, said demonstrations would continue peacefully despite the government's move to stop them.

"The protest is peaceful. We are asking the government to address hunger, high cost of food, create jobs for youths," she told the crowd.

Protesters are demanding a cut in electricity, petrol pump and food prices, in addition to the introduction of free education, good governance, justice and constitutional reforms.

Protesters could not march to Eagles Square, a national arena near the Federal Secretariat in the capital, because combat-ready police cordoned off the facility.

The government had obtained court injunctions in Lagos and Abuja to restrict protesters from demonstrating on the streets and in the national square in Abuja.

Protesters, however, defied the injunctions and marched on streets in those cities, and in Port-Harcourt and Ibadan in the south, and Kano, Bauchi and Maiduguri in the northern region.

Police and protesters fought in the northeast Maiduguriz epicenter over a decade-old terror attack after police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

No casualties were recorded, according to local media. The government has imposed a 24-hour curfew in the area to tamper tensions and avert violence, said officials.

The protest forced most businesses, commercial centers, banks, markets, academic institutions and offices to close operations in fear that the demonstration may degenerate into violence.

Police Chief Olukayode Egbetokun announced Tuesday that protesters would have police protection while exercising their civic rights but warned against violence.

"We recognize the right of the citizens to protest and as security agencies, we will protect the right but this right is only to peaceful protest," he said after meeting with the heads of security agencies in Abuja.

Nigeria faces economic challenges as the high cost of food, fuel, cooking gas, medicine and transport have pushed up the cost of living.

In June, inflation rose to 34.29% from 29.90% that was recorded in January, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Zainab Usman, a Nigerian senior research fellow and director of the Africa Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, said inflation had risen to more than 30% -- a once-in-generation economic crisis.

She said food price inflation has moved to over 40% with the naira depreciating to around 80% against the dollar since mid-2023.