Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, is grappling with a multitude of challenges that have led to widespread unrest. Tens of thousands of people across the country are participating in protests under the banner of #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria. These demonstrations, which began on August 1, are a response to bad governance, corruption, the increasing cost of living, and rising insecurity. The situation is further complicated by simmering separatist agitations and the government's response, which has sometimes included excessive force.
Organisers have called for days of street demonstrations beginning on August 1 to protest against bad governance, corruption and the increasing cost of living that has left millions of Nigerians reeling. This protest feels different. It’s part of an ongoing wave of young Africans fighting for survival against an older and failed political class. As the saying goes: those who are down fear no fall.
Map of Nigeria showing major ethnic groups. Source: Wikipedia
Nigeria’s Rising Social And Economic Crisis-Sam Amadi
Economic Hardship
Nigerians continue to grapple with the devastating economic impact of Covid-19, as the number of citizens experiencing hunger more than doubled during the pandemic. In Nigeria, the hardships are now unbearable for many - as people seek extra work shifts and night jobs, and more begin to beg for alms. Adeola Babatunde, who just gave birth three months ago, is among those worst hit by the dire economic situation in Lagos.
Food inflation in Nigeria also stands at 40 percent, the highest in nearly three decades, while unemployment maintains an upward posture, according to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics. Rising insecurity has affected protesters like Jibril Suleiman, a native of the Gwoza area in Maiduguri in Borno State - a stronghold of the armed group Boko Haram.
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Basic commodities have become a luxury that is out of the grasp of many Nigerians; and unexplained fuel scarcities happen every other week even as Nigeria is one of the biggest oil exporting countries. Petrol sold at 1,300 naira ($0.78) per litre this week, up from 580 naira ($0.35) earlier this month. It is particularly challenging for students, many of whom struggle to pay their school fees or buy textbooks. The removal of an electricity subsidy for the highest power users in February also made matters worse.
Bemoaning the rising costs of basics, the mother-of-four said: “I am here to let the government know that there is something serious happening in this Nigeria. “My business is ruining, I am in debt. We are not here to fight, they should just do something about this situation,” she said.
Insecurity and Violence
For nearly 15 years, civilians in Nigeria have faced multiple security threats and risk of atrocities due to attacks, kidnappings and extortion by various non-state armed groups. Communities in the northwest witnessed a spate of mass kidnappings of schoolchildren for ransom. Armed groups known locally as bandits carried out widespread killings, kidnappings, and looting across several states in Nigeria’s northwest region. These groups emerged following years of conflict between nomadic herdsmen and farming communities.
In northern Nigeria, armed extremist groups, notably Boko Haram and splinter groups like the so-called Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), have perpetrated mass atrocities against civilians. The reported death of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in June changed the dynamics of the conflict in the northeast and strengthened the breakaway Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). In March, suspected ISWAP fighters attacked a United Nations base and humanitarian hub in the Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State, burning aid workers’ offices, destroying government facilities and hospitals, and abducting at least seven humanitarian workers.
Violence between herders and farmers has increased over the past decade as population growth has led to an expansion of the area dedicated to farming, leaving less land available for open grazing by nomads’ cattle. Climate change and increasing desertification in the north has also exacerbated tensions as the loss of grazing land has driven many Fulani Muslim herders southward into areas farmed by settled communities that are predominantly Christian.
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“I want Nigeria to live in peace. Because of insecurity, people are dying every day in my village. People are dying because of hunger, our sisters have turned to Ashewo [Yoruba for sex worker] because of hunger.
Political Tensions and Government Response
In May 2023, Bola Tinubu became president of Nigeria. Nigerians are convinced that the government is divorced from reality and shows no signs of empathy as it has not made any serious changes in government to accommodate the growing challenges. The country has a bloated cabinet, with hundreds of highly paid people employed to do the same jobs, citizens complain.
Simmering separatist agitations from the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the southeast and the Yoruba Nation in the southwest highlighted the worsening divisions and tensions in the country, to which the authorities sometimes responded with excessive use of force. IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu was arrested abroad and brought to stand trial in Nigeria for charges including treason and terrorism.
Nigeria’s government has tried to push back against the protests in the weeks leading up to its start. The secret service said it warned citizens not to partake in the demonstrations as it had “confirmed a sinister plan by some elements to infiltrate the protest and use it to cause chaos and extreme violence in the land”, to force a regime change. The government met with key traditional leaders to appease citizens to give the Tinubu administration more time to deliver on its electoral promises. This week it tried to dissuade the protest by raising the minimum wage from 30,000 naira to 70,000 naira.
In parts of the country, such as the northern Kano and Yobe states, authorities imposed a curfew as some protesters attacked vehicles, burning them. In capital Abuja, the police fired back tear gas shells to disperse protesters, and gunshots were heard. In Abuja, protests turned violent; in Kano, curfews were declared; and about 25 people were arrested in Kaduna.
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Human Rights Concerns
During counterterrorism operations, Nigerian security forces have reportedly committed human rights violations and used excessive force, including extrajudicial killings, rape, torture and arbitrary detentions against civilians and suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP members. The Nigerian military has allegedly run a secret, systematic and illegal abortion program in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states that terminated at least 10,000 pregnancies between 2013 and 2022, according to an investigation by Reuters.
In February, police officers arrested people protesting a decision to reopen the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos where military officers opened fire during the protests against police brutality in 2020. In response to this, the Lagos State police authorities issued a statement denouncing the treatment of protesters and announcing an investigation to ensure officers responsible are held accountable. The authorities have yet to provide further information on the investigation.
The Niger Delta Conflict
The current conflict in the Niger Delta first arose in the early 1990s over tensions between foreign oil corporations and a number of the Niger Delta's minority ethnic groups who feel they are being exploited, particularly the Ogoni and the Ijaw. The government responded by banning public gatherings and declaring disturbances to oil production acts of treason. Military repression escalated in May 1994. By mid-June, the security forces had razed 30 villages, detained 600 people and killed at least 40.
Map of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Source: Wikipedia
Corruption and Governance
Poverty and urbanization in Nigeria are growing, and official corruption is considered a fact of life. Nigeria was the world's tenth largest oil exporter. The abundant oil reserves resulted in widespread exploitation. Shell's strong presence has played a major role in the absence of democracy in Nigeria.
The government should utilize the Economic Community of West African States’ Early Warning System to increase police and military deployments in vulnerable areas. All attacks against civilians must be investigated and perpetrators of atrocity crimes and human rights violations held accountable.
Key Statistics
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Food Inflation | 40% (highest in nearly three decades) |
| Oil Spilled Annually in Niger Delta | Estimated 240,000 barrels |
| Children Out of School (Pre-Pandemic) | Estimated 10.5 million |
These struggles are not unique to Nigeria. The protests come following similar recent demonstrations sweeping other African countries, including Kenya and Uganda.
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