The Rising Anger in Nigeria: The Truth Behind the Protests
In June, the people of Kenya took to the streets to protest the 2024 Finance Bill, which proposed tax hikes. The protest actions forced President William Ruto to announce the withdrawal of the bill.
Recently, the West African nation of Nigeria witnessed
similar protests. Driven by a visibly rising cost of living, high inflation,
and exorbitant increases in electricity tariffs, a group of Nigerians published
a statement declaring their intention to organize nationwide protests under the
banner '#Endbadgovernance'. Despite government efforts to get the events
cancelled, the protest demonstrations began on August 1, 2024.
On August 4, President Bola Tinubu invited the protesters to
dialogue and promised to normalize the economic situation. However, the
demonstrators found these statements insufficient and continued their actions.
Nigeria has been the scene of various protests before.
During the #EndSARS protests under the Buhari administration, the northern part
of the country was largely silent, but this time the northwest became the
epicenter of the protests.
In Lagos, a large portion of the population chose to stay
home on the first day; a small number of people gathered and held peaceful
demonstrations. In the following days, people returned to their daily lives. A
similar calm was observed in the Southwest. Most of the protesters were
supporters of former presidential candidates Omoleye Sowore and Peter Obi.
However, anger was palpable in the protests held in the
South-South regions of Rivers, Delta, and Edo.
The situation took a very different turn in the north, home
to the country's poorer population. In Northwestern Nigeria, particularly in
Kano, Sokoto, Kaduna, and Plateau, people turned out in large numbers for the
protests. But some actions quickly turned violent: government buildings were
looted and destroyed, and some demonstrators lost their lives after police
opened fire.
Why the Tinubu Administration is Being Protested
Shortly after taking office, on May 29, 2023, Nigerian
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu removed the subsidy on petroleum products, causing
fuel prices in the country to soar rapidly. Rising fuel prices, coupled with
the depreciation of the national currency, the naira, led to a severe
cost-of-living crisis and a significant drop in the purchasing power of
Nigerians.
Tinubu's predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, had paid the fuel
subsidy and forced the central bank to stabilize the naira and control
inflation. Influenced by the country's elite, Tinubu dismantled both systems.
According to analyst Onuoha Okeh, “It must be said that the
manner in which Tinubu removed the fuel subsidy was wrong. The action was
desirable, but the implementation is counterproductive. Certain things should
have been done or put in place before the fuel subsidy was removed... The
government knows that the problem with the fuel supply in the country is the
smuggling of petroleum products from Nigeria to neighboring countries. The
government has to deal with that. The government has to deal with corruption in
the petroleum sector.”
Is Tinubu the Only One to Blame?
According to the World Food Programme, malnutrition among
children in Nigeria more than doubled in the past year. Allowing the naira to
float, as demanded by the IMF, further devalued the currency. Increases in
taxation and electricity bills led to the closure of many businesses. Yet,
political office holders, far removed from all these troubles, continued to
live in their bubbles of limitless spending.
It is important to remember that Nigeria's current
predicament—where immense human capital and natural resources coexist with
widespread poverty and hunger—should be interpreted not just as the failure of
Tinubu, but of governance at all levels. Years of poor governance, endless
corruption, and visionless leadership have permeated state and local government
levels. Ultimately, the problems that have multiplied under Tinubu have
culminated in a greater tragedy.
The Situation in the South
The Yoruba people, who predominantly live in the country's
southwest, did not participate in the protest actions, largely because Bola
Tinubu is Yoruba. The election of a southern Muslim president is a rare
occurrence in itself, so it's not surprising that Muslim Yorubas feel
sympathetic towards him. While some churches in the country supported the
protests, the lack of support from Pentecostal churches—mostly comprised of
Christian Yorubas—can be explained by similar regionalist sentiments and the
fact that Tinubu's wife is a member of the Pentecostal faith.
The Igbo Did Not Join the Protests
The Igbo people, who live in the south and did not get
involved in the protests, were the most accused group during the 2020 #EndSARS
protests (against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad accused of human rights
abuses), essentially bearing the brunt of the blame. This time, they stayed
away from the protests for their own safety; furthermore, having never
supported Tinubu in the first place, they felt they had no specific reason to
protest him. Some commentators interpreted the Igbo's non-participation as a
sign of their disconnection from the Nigerian state and their enduring
aspiration to establish an independent Biafra.
Protests Concentrate in the North
Northern Nigeria, home to a poorer and less educated
population, was the region hardest hit by Tinubu's policies. People, most of
whom rely on farming and herding for their livelihood, wanted relief from the
bandits and terrorist acts that constantly threaten them. Tinubu failed to
provide this security. Farmers couldn't plant their fields, and agriculture
suffered a serious blow. Consequently, people felt poverty more acutely due to
rising food prices, and the danger of hunger emerged.
Another reason for the northerners' anger is that Tinubu,
who came to power with their support, turned his back on them once in office.
For example, Kaduna's prominent figure, El-Rufai, failed to get senate
confirmation for a ministerial appointment. The northern populace wanted to
show their displeasure with Tinubu, who is already preparing to run again in
2027, well in advance.
A Descent into Violence and External Influence
Globally, the main reasons for organizing protests are to
create change, speak out against injustice, and challenge inequality. However,
protests sometimes devolve into violent actions, straying from these goals and
taking on a destructive form. Unfortunately, in some parts of the north, the
protests turned into violent insurrectionary movements. The appearance of
Russian flags became another factor distorting the purpose of the protests.
Numerous protesters were detained.
Security expert Kabir Adamu commented on some northern
protesters carrying Russian flags: “The situation in the Republic of Niger
happened, and many young people in Northern Nigeria saw how the youth in Niger
supported the coup, and also how they supported the rejection of France and the
US and the embrace of Russia. So, it is not surprising that Nigerian youth,
dissatisfied with the current government's policies, would do the same.”
In Conclusion
These protests are neither the first nor the last for
Nigeria. The Nigerian people will continue to protest not only the current
government but also years of bad policies, endless corruption, injustice, and
politicians out of touch with the populace.
The northern elites, in particular, who share responsibility
for the region's underdevelopment and poverty over the years, also have lessons
to learn from the protests in the North.
Tinubu must talk to his people and announce action plans
that will satisfy them, not just to quell ten days of protests, but to achieve
much more. For even if the protests subside, the Nigerian people will not give
up their demand for a fair and people-oriented government and will express this
sentiment again in the 2027 elections.
Sources:
https://thesun.ng/tinubu-protest-riot-and-hypocrisy/
https://www.idrakpost.com/d/58/nijerya%E2%80%99da-protesto-neden-anarsiye-donustu
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