As Nigeria marks 64 years of independence from British colonial rule on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, thousands of citizens gathered in Lagos and Abuja, the country’s economic and political capitals, to protest against the rising cost of living and energy prices in Africa’s most populous nation.
For many, this day is not one of celebration as they urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to address the escalating inflation and the unprecedented economic challenges facing the country.
The protest, titled “FearlessInOctober,” gained momentum on social media, occurring two months after the August #EndBadGovernance demonstrations. Both protests share similar themes, with discontented young Nigerians demanding the reversal of petrol subsidy removal and electricity tariff hikes.
In Abuja, protesters gathered in the Utako area, waving Nigeria’s Green-White-Green flag and carrying banners with messages such as “EndBadGovernance,” “DiasporaVoting,” and “EndHighLivingCosts.”
In Lagos, a similar scene unfolded in Ikeja, where protesters converged at the popular Ikeja UnderBridge area, causing traffic disruptions on a day declared a public holiday for the country’s independence celebrations. Demonstrators in Lagos carried large banners with bold statements like, “Hunger Dey,” and “Reverse Anti-People, Neoliberal Policies of Privatisation, Deregulation, and Devaluation of Naira.”
Activist Omoyele Sowore was seen at the Lagos rally, where he and other protesters prepared to march to Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota to continue their demonstration against what they have termed anti-government policies.
Both in Lagos and Abuja, scores of security agents were seen on alert at the protest locations where they maintained a respectable distance from the demonstrators.
In addition to Lagos and Abuja, determined protesters also gathered in several of Nigeria’s 36 states to voice their demands, despite repeated warnings and discouragement from the government and security agencies.
Critics have targeted President Bola Tinubu’s policies, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of exchange rates, which many believe are the main drivers of the country’s severe inflation and skyrocketing living and energy costs.
Since Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023, energy costs have more than tripled. Petrol prices surged from around N200 per litre to over N1,000, while electricity tariffs quadrupled, putting pressure on the manufacturing sector and Nigerian households.
In his second Independence Day Anniversary Address on Tuesday, Tinubu appealed for patience, assuring the nation that his administration is refining its economic policies for the benefit of ordinary Nigerians. He expressed sympathy for the economic difficulties brought on by his reforms, while pledging that his government has been implementing strategies to lower the soaring cost of living.