Demonstrators aimed to amplify pressure on the government through nationwide protests organized by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) umbrella union.
These protests were prompted by reforms implemented last year, which have severely impacted citizens of Africa’s largest economy.
With inflation soaring, many impoverished Nigerians have been forced to forgo meals and essentials like meat, eggs, and milk.
In the capital city of Abuja, over 1,000 demonstrators marched towards the National Assembly, monitored closely by vigilante groups and armed police officers.
Chanting slogans and brandishing signs reading “Let the poor breathe” and “End naira devaluation,” the protesters voiced their grievances.
“The government needs to wake up,” said protester Roland Bamiche, who works for a hospitality union.
“People are dying, people are suffering, people are going through hell,” the 45-year-old said. “The high cost of living is becoming unbearable.”
Since assuming office last year, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has abolished fuel subsidies and currency controls, resulting in a threefold increase in petrol prices and a surge in living expenses due to the depreciation of the naira against the dollar.
In January, the inflation rate soared to nearly 30 percent, marking a three-decade high, as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics.
Tinubu has urged for patience to allow his reforms to yield results, asserting that they will facilitate foreign investment. However, these measures have significantly impacted Nigerians, exacerbating their hardships.
“Tinubu promised a change but now look where we are,” said activist Aghedo Kehinde Stephen in Lagos where more than 1,000 people also turned out.
“There is no food and no security in the country.”
‘Reduced to beggars’
In the north, the economic crisis has forced people to eat poor-grade rice used as fish food.
To feed their children, women have even resorted to digging up anthills in search of grain stored by the insects, videos on social media show.
Hundreds of demonstrators marched to the governor’s office in the northern city of Kano, the capital of a key state which also bears the same name.
“The population has been reduced to beggars. The government must take drastic measures,” said protester Saudatu Ibrahim.
The government says it is working to address the crisis and on Tuesday Nigeria’s central bank announced it was raising interest rates by four percentage points to 22.75 percent in a bid to tame inflation.
“We need prices to come down,” said NLC worker Mercy Adeyemi at the Abuja demonstration.
The price of rice has more than doubled in the past year and the 48-year-old mother of four said she has been missing meals to make ends meet.
Protests have already taken place across the country this month and are set to continue tomorrow.
Nigeria and other west African countries like Ghana have problems with the selection of leaders. They adamantly vote on tribal lines rather than issues. Unless we change such uncivilised attitudes, politicians will always exploit the situation to their advantages.