A wave of protests rocked the city of Ibadan, Nigeria, recently as residents took to the streets holding placards demanding an end to bad government and hunger in the country. Official figures show the inflation rate reached 29.9% in January, the highest since 1996, mainly due to rising prices of food and non-alcoholic drinks.
“This country is bleeding, this country is hard, this country is angry. People are suffering. No one can afford three meals a day, or even two, in our dear country today. Inflation on all goods. Inflation of food, cement inflation, clothing inflation, car inflation, motorcycle inflation, transport inflation from one point to another. This is why we are protesting peacefully,” said Sodiq, an artisan.
Nigerians are facing one of the worst economic crises Nigeria has seen in years, caused by soaring inflation and monetary policies that have driven the local currency to an extremely low level against the dollar, causing the anger and protests across the country.
“The prices are exorbitant,” laments Oilatan, a fashion designer. “There is nothing easy to do in Nigeria, we just hope that things will improve. Everything is expensive, even our parents complain, we complain too. People want to go to school but no “Don’t have the means, please help us ask President (Bola) Tinubu.”
Bola Tinubu’s government launched reforms last year that saw the removal of gas subsidies. This has eroded incomes and savings, while putting pressure on millions of people already struggling. A situation made worse by a plummeting currency.
These protests demonstrate the frustration and distress felt by many Nigerians in the face of growing economic challenges, highlighting the need for change and urgent reforms to improve people’s living conditions.