Lagos, Nigeria – Nigeria is on the verge of another round of protests, just three weeks after the economically damaging #EndBadGovernance demonstrations that rocked the nation. As the country struggles to recover from the aftermath of the previous unrest, the prospect of another protest in October has raised concerns about a potentially dangerous turning point for the nation.
Codenamed the #FearlessInOctober protests, the upcoming demonstration is being organized by the Take It Back Movement. According to Damilare Adenola, the Director of Mobilisation for the movement, the protest will maintain its original charter of demands but will be adapted to reflect the worsening state of the country.
The August 1-10 protests were initially staged to denounce the pervasive hardship gripping the nation. While many Nigerians were supportive of the protest on its first day, they were shocked when it quickly escalated into looting, vandalism, and clashes with security forces. Over 30 people lost their lives, and more than 1,000 rioters were arrested by the police.
The protesters have certainly made their voices heard. However, the organizers might consider pausing to allow the government time to respond before initiating another round of demonstrations.
At the heart of these protests lies acute hunger and widespread hardship. The government must urgently address the depreciation of the naira, incoherent monetary policies, and the skyrocketing prices of food and energy that are plunging Nigerians into deeper poverty. In 2022, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that 133 million Nigerians were living in multidimensional poverty. The World Bank added another seven million to that figure in 2023, citing the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of the naira exchange rates as key factors.
Future demonstrations should take a different approach, focusing on peaceful and non-violent protests. The government, in turn, must demand the highest level of professionalism from its security forces to avoid a repeat of the deadly violence witnessed in August.
The August protests were particularly pronounced in the North, where a high number of underage protesters, some waving Russian flags, looted shops and vandalized properties. In Kano, protesters ransacked the Nigerian Communications Commission Digital Innovation Centre, stealing chairs, hardware, and equipment.
The North remains disproportionately affected by poverty, with 65 percent of Nigeria’s poor—approximately 86 million people—living in the region. Additionally, over 50 percent of the 20.2 million children aged 5-14 years who are out of school in Nigeria reside there. Northern governors must urgently address these socio-economic challenges to prevent further unrest.
In these challenging times, the government must not only introduce programs to address the people’s needs but must also be seen as actively working to alleviate their hardships. Between now and October, the government has ample time to address the issues raised by the protesters, potentially rendering the proposed protest unnecessary.
The government must also improve its communication strategy, which has thus far been perceived as arrogant and combative. Effective communication should be strategic, proactive, results-oriented, and empathetic. Blaming the opposition during a hunger protest only exacerbates the problem and alienates the people further.
The Bola Tinubu administration should also address the excessive cost of governance, one of the key grievances of the protesters. Instead of addressing this issue, the recent unveiling of a presidential jet and expensive SUVs has only fueled discontent among the population.
The three tiers of government must find a way to address the planned protests by meeting the demands related to hunger and hardship. The government must also revise its security strategy to prevent the chaos and violence that marred the previous protests.