A few thousand demonstrators gathered peacefully in Nigeria's three largest cities on Tuesday morning to protest the high cost of living, which has skyrocketed since the new president came to power less than a year ago.
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In Lagos (south), the economic capital, Abuja (centre), the federal capital, and Kano (north), the country's second largest city, several thousand Nigerians took to the streets at the call of the trade union federation. The Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) condemned the reforms by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which have led to an explosion in the cost of living.
AFP
In Abuja, the thousand protesters gathered in front of the National Assembly, waving union flags and placards and demanding “an end to the devaluation of the naira” and “let the poor breathe.”
“We come together because of poverty and insecurity,” said Patrick Madu, 44 and father of five, who works as a taxi driver in addition to his job in construction.
AFP
“We don’t have enough food at home anymore,” says Mercy Adeyemi, a 48-year-old member of the NLC, who says she skips meals to make ends meet.
Upon taking office in May 2023, President Bola Tinubu ended fuel subsidies and currency controls, leading to a tripling of gasoline prices and an increase in the cost of living (Naira). It lost a lot of value against the dollar.
AFP
The country's inflation rate was close to 30% in January, and several demonstrations have already taken place in some smaller cities in the north and center of the country since the beginning of February.
The Nigerian president has repeatedly asked the people for patience and reiterated that his economic reforms will attract foreign investors and stimulate the economy, but the positive impact of these reforms has been slow to be felt.
Although the number of protesters in the three capitals in this country of more than 220 million people is still ridiculous, the movement shows that the Nigerian population, suffering from increasing deprivation, is truly fed up.
AFP
“Become a beggar”
Many Nigerians have had to forego foods that are now considered luxury goods such as meat, eggs, milk and potatoes.
According to official figures, at least 63% of Nigerians live in extreme poverty.
“The economic situation is becoming more and more unbearable, the cost of living is much higher than what we earn, we have become beggars,” says Habibu Idris angrily in the midst of around 500 demonstrators who have gathered in Kano.
AFP
In Lagos, fewer than 2,000 demonstrators, accompanied by a heavy police force, marched in a good-natured atmosphere to the offices of the governor of the eponymous state, chanting “Tinubu thief!”
“Tinubu promised change and now look where we are? “There is no food or security in this country,” says Aghedo Kehinde Stephen, a member of civil society.
AFP
“Enough is enough, there is no hope for us here,” laments Abiodun Olamide Thomas, a 35-year-old nurse who says she is “ready to move abroad if the opportunity arises.”
Under pressure from popular discontent, the government announced on Monday the launch of an aid program aimed at giving 25,000 naira (about 14.70 euros) a month to 15 million of the country's poorest households.
However, this did not stop the NLC from declaring a new nationwide demonstration day for Wednesday.