HUNGER IN THE LAND: Police on Red Alert As Nigerian Youths Fix Date For 10 Days Nationwide Protests

Amid growing economic hardship, Nigerian youths are gearing up for nationwide protests from August 1-10, 2024. Tegic Media reports that these protests, gaining momentum in the North and other regions, aim to draw government attention to the citizens’ plight.

Since President Bola Tinubu’s administration began in May 2023 and the abolition of the fuel subsidy was announced, Nigerians have faced increased hardships. This has sparked calls for reversing some government policies believed to have exacerbated the situation.

The protests are set to occur across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). While many organizers, especially from the northern region, remain anonymous, prominent activist and 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has been actively promoting the August protests on social media.

Sowore, a veteran protest leader, declared that a revolution would start in August, asserting, “Nothing Can Stop An Idea Whose Time Has Come” #RevolutionNOW. He wrote: “The REVOLUTION is now knocking on our doors! #RevolutionNow. Let everyone rise all at once in August 2024! Nothing can stop an idea whose time has come. They asked for a revolution, and it is here now! @officialABAT once asked for a revolution, even @MBuhari once asked for a revolution, and Nigerians now want a real revolution.”

A flyer circulating on social media titled “End Bad Government in Nigeria 2024,” attributed to anonymous groups, lists ten government policies allegedly causing undue hardship. Among their demands, the groups urge the government to end the “subsidy scam,” reduce fuel prices to below N300 per liter, restore tertiary education fees to previous rates, lower electricity tariffs, revert import duties, and publicly disclose and cut salaries and allowances of Senators and House Representatives.

In response, the Nigeria Police Force is reportedly planning to prevent the protests. An internal memo dated July 8, copied to Zonal Assistant Inspectors-General of Police, urges operatives to prepare by mobilizing well-equipped personnel, coordinating with other agencies and the military, and securing strategic points. The memo stated, “No form of protest must be allowed during the period.”

A popular social commentator and investigative journalist, @PIDOMNIGERIA, posted the leaked memo on his verified X handle, amplifying public awareness.

The planned protests have caused concern among Nigerian public officials, particularly lawmakers, who fear potential attacks. Tegic Media reports that the Nigerian Senate engaged in a heated debate, expressing anxiety over possible retaliation from angry citizens. Senator Sunday Karimi Steve of Kogi West and Senator Ali Ndume Mohammed of Borno South co-sponsored a motion titled “Urgent Need to Address Food Insecurity and Market Exploitation of Consumables in Nigeria.” Former Senate President Ahmed Lawan warned that Nigerians’ patience was wearing thin, stating, “If we don’t take immediate action, we will lose power. Our citizens are suffering from increased fuel and electricity prices, and we need to take measures quickly.”

Adding to the tension, former lawmaker Shehu Sani recently advised Senate President Godswill Akpabio to avoid passing through Wuse 2 in the FCT, where he encountered protesters carrying placards against hunger. Sani recounted his encounter on social media, noting that while he was recognized and allowed to pass, Akpabio might not receive the same treatment.

Sani shared, “I just passed a group of protesters in Wuse 2, carrying placards against ‘hunger in the land’. Some ladies among them recognized me and shouted ‘No be that Afro Senator be that’, I answered ‘yes na me the former Senator’; then they responded ‘Oya pass’. Make Akpabio no pass there o.”

As the protest dates approach, the nation’s leaders and citizens alike brace for what could be a significant moment in Nigeria’s socio-political landscape.