AT least three protesters were killed on Thursday in Nigeria’s Kaduna state, as demonstrations against the soaring cost of living and governance issues swept across the West African nation. Reuters reporters and eyewitnesses confirmed the fatalities during the rallies.
Kaduna state police spokesperson Mansur Hassan stated that police fired tear gas at protesters, not live ammunition. Eyewitnesses in the capital city Abuja also reported tear gas being used to disperse crowds.
Protests were held in Abuja, the commercial hub of Lagos, and several other cities, with demonstrators expressing their discontent over economic reforms that have led to rampant inflation and severe hardships for ordinary Nigerians. President Bola Tinubu has maintained that these changes are necessary to stabilize the country’s economy.
In an effort to pre-empt potential violence, authorities deployed armed security personnel nationwide. In Lagos, armed police monitored protesters as they marched toward the government house and then proceeded to two authorised protest locations. Some shopping malls in the city were closed and guarded by heavy police presence.
Inspired by June protests in Kenya, which led to the government there scrapping planned tax increases, Nigerians are mobilising online. Their demands include the reinstatement of subsidies for petrol and electricity, free primary and secondary education, and measures to combat insecurity.
Protesters in Abuja faced roadblocks mounted by the military along highways, while some gathered at a stadium. In Maiduguri, the epicentre of a militant insurgency in the northeast, youths demonstrated under heavy security, voicing frustration at the government’s policies.
The Nigerian government had previously stated it was open to dialogue. President Tinubu has asked citizens to endure the reforms, but many Nigerians argue that politicians are not making enough sacrifices themselves. Since taking office over a year ago, Tinubu has removed some fuel subsidies, devalued the naira, and hiked electricity tariffs, leading to inflation soaring past 34 percent, the highest in 28 years.
Nigeria is also grappling with widespread insecurity, which has impacted the farming sector and led to kidnappings by armed gangs in the north. While labour unions have led past protests, Thursday’s demonstrations were mainly driven by unemployed youth, adding a new dimension to the government’s challenges.
In an attempt to alleviate some of the economic hardship, Tinubu signed a new minimum wage into law on Monday. However, many of Nigeria’s 200 million people are either self-employed or unemployed, making the impact of the minimum wage limited.
