Protests erupted in multiple cities across Nigeria Thursday as frustrated citizens took to the streets, voicing their anger over increasing hunger and \u201cbad governance.\u201d <\/p>\n
The demonstrations are part of a larger wave of unrest spreading across Africa in places such as Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and now Nigeria. <\/p>\n
The demonstrations spiraled out of control in parts of the country, including the northern Yobe and Kano states where authorities declared a 24-hour curfew as private and public properties were looted in chaotic scenes that also saw many vehicles burned. <\/p>\n
In Kano, protesters stormed and looted a Digital Innovation Park scheduled to open next week, Communications Minister Bosun Tijani said. <\/p>\n
Gunshots rang out in the capital Abuja and also in the neighboring Niger state as police lobbed tear gas to disperse defiant protesters. In Niger, at least six people are now feared dead, local media reported. <\/p>\n
Abiodun said police officers also dispersed protesters who had occupied a major highway, adding that \u201cthere was no loss of life.\u201d <\/p>\n
In Abuja, protesters gathered outside the national stadium, where they faced off with pro-government supporters. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe protesters became violent and began throwing stones at the police, reasons why the police had to disperse them,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Demonstrators gathered under the \u2018End Bad Governance in Nigeria\u2019 coalition, using the slogan \u201c10 Days of Rage,\u201d and are demanding the reinstatement of a fuel subsidy whose abrupt removal last May caused a dramatic spike in the cost of food, transportation, and other commodities. <\/p>\n
These increases have hit a populace already struggling with widespread unemployment and soaring inflation of 34%, the highest level in nearly 30 years. <\/p>\n
One protester in the Nigerian capital told the national Channels Television that he was forced to join the Thursday protests due to hunger. <\/p>\n
\u201cHunger \u2026 brought me out. I don\u2019t have money to buy fuel \u2026 there\u2019s total bad government. It\u2019s 10 days (of rage). We\u2019ll remain on the streets till our demands are met.\u201d <\/p>\n
Dele Farotimi, a spokesperson for the coalition coordinating the protests, attributed the large nationwide turnout of protesters to hunger, which he says \u201cunifies every Nigerian across the political, ethnic, and religious divides.\u201d <\/p>\n
Ahead of the protests, President Bola Tinubu called for calm, urging citizens not to take to the streets as he feared that it \u201ccould degenerate into violence and set the country backwards.\u201d <\/p>\n
The government also announced last-minute measures to halt the demonstrations but they proved unsuccessful. <\/p>\n
On Monday, Tinubu signed into law a bill that doubled the national minimum wage from N30,000 ($18.06) a month to N70,000 ($42.14). He also approved the removal of taxes on food imports, which his office said would address food inflation. <\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the demands that the protesters are making are actually being addressed by the federal government,\u201d Information Minister Mohammed Idris told a press conference Monday, adding that the government had opened centers across the nation where rice would be sold to citizens \u201cat about 50% of its cost.\u201d <\/p>\n
Protesters are also calling for the government to address the country\u2019s worsening security problems, amid challenges including kidnappings for ransom. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn the northern part of Nigeria, the largest part of our country \u2026 the primary cause of hunger is insecurity. The people cannot go to their farms. A lot of people are living in internally displaced persons camps. So you have a lot of disruptions on account of insecurity which is manifesting in both banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism,\u201d Farotimi said. <\/p>\n
This is the first major coordinated protest in Nigeria since the deadly EndSARS demonstrations against police brutality in 2020, which resulted in deaths and injuries after security forces opened fire on unarmed protesters. <\/p>\n
He added that Nigerians were also pained watching their leaders live in luxury while they struggled to make ends meet. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt has gotten to that point where the people just need to be heard,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Nigeria\u2019s President Bola Tinubu has faced a backlash over his government\u2019s spending plans despite the country\u2019s mounting debts and cost-of-living crisis. <\/p>\n
Last year, lawmakers rejected plans for a multimillion-dollar presidential yacht before approving a budget that allocated millions of dollars for a presidential fleet, including the purchase of SUV vehicles for the presidency and the First Lady\u2019s Office. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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