Protests as wakeup call
Protests against the prevailing harsh economic conditions in the country rocked several Nigerian cities last week. The first round of the protests, organised by civil society groups and celebrities took place in Lagos, Abuja and other cities last Monday. Leading the protest in Lagos was former president of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) Charles Oputa alias Charly Boy. The protests had looked threatened two days earlier when their motivator, the musician Innocent Idibia alias 2Baba pulled out, citing security concerns.
The civil rights groups OneVoiceNigeria and United Action for Democracy (UAD), however, went ahead with the protests in Lagos. Though policemen used APCs and blocked access to Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota, they converged at Ojuelegba and the entrance to the National Stadium. They marched through Ikorodu road and rounded off the rally at National Theatre, Iganmu. They carried placards such as: “Buhari: Is this the change you promised?” “Nigeria change has become chain”, “Bag of rice now N17,000, litre of kerosene now N350, smallest bread now N100. Where is hope for the common man?”
In Abuja, #IstandwithNigeria group led the protest march from Unity Fountain to Aso Rock Villa gate. Its leaders made five demands which were read by former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission Professor Chidi Odinkalu. They demanded transparency in governance, improved security and reduction in cost of governance. They said the Buhari regime’s fight against corruption was losing credibility due to selective prosecution of suspects. They called for the sack of the “grass cutter,” apparently referring to Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal who is embroiled in an alleged corruption scandal. The protesters also said Buhari had failed to fulfil his campaign promises and there is acute hunger in the land.
However, a progovernment group also rallied in Abuja and expressed support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime. The marchers held up placards that read, ‘#IstandwithBuhari’, “Nigerians are fully with you” and “We believe in President Muhammadu Buhari making Nigeria great again.” Comrade Olayemi Success of Buhari Volunteers Network said though his group was aware of economic hardship in the country, the situation of Nigeria could be likened to a virus-infested system that needs shutting down and reformatting.
Four days later, more protests were held in Abuja, Lagos and other cities, this time led by Nigeria Labour Congress [NLC] and Trade Union Congress, TUC. They marched to both Aso Rock Villa and the National Assembly. NLC president Ayuba Wabba said the “National Day of Action Against Corruption and for Good Governance” was targeted against “antipeople policies of the government, shabby anticorruption campaign and poor treatment of workers, among other things.” He protested the delay in upward review of minimum wage amidst increasing cost of items in the country. TUC President Bobboi Kaigama said, “Nigerians are hungry, no light, no jobs and our factories have gone comatose. Our salary is stagnant but inflation is on the rise.”
The Federal Government’s response to last week’s protests was a mixture of the correct and incorrect. For many days leading up to the first protests, the police did everything to thwart them with a stream of warnings and threats. This is improper because citizens have every right to protest policies of government. This is not the first time this is happening, in Nigeria or in other countries. During the years of military rule there were violent protests against increased fuel prices in 1988 and 1989. Throughout the Obasanjo years, NLC and civil society groups led protests anytime there was an increase in fuel prices. In January 2012 too, this country was virtually shut down by protesters when President Goodluck Jonathan tried to deregulate fuel prices. The Buhari administration cannot be an exception.
The fact that the prices of almost everything have steeply gone up in Nigeria in the last two years, mostly due to the steep fall in naira’s exchange rate against the dollar, justifies a protest to vent citizens’ anger. The police also blocked the routes of protesters. It is fair to say, however, that the police have a reason to be worried because the culture of peaceful protest is mostly lacking in Nigeria. Too often, protests tend to be hijacked by hoodlums. What government did right, however, was Acting President Yemi Osinbajo’s prompt response on both occasions. On Monday he said while declaring open the Consultative Forum on Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) that government heard the protesters loud and clear. On Thursday he met with an NLC/TUC team and assured them that the Federal Government was determined to give the ordinary man a fair deal.
We believe that last week’s demonstrations should serve as a wakeup call for the Buhari administration. The protests were largely shunned in the APC strongholds in the North because they were seen as the work of opposition elements. This needs not be so. The regime’s oft repeated defence that it did not create these problems is beginning to sound hollow because it has been in power for nearly two years now. Even if a regime did not create the problems, it is responsible for solving them, and promptly too. The administration’s efforts to tackle the current hardship are too painfully slow and uncertain. Its promised social welfare programmes, for example, proceeded at slower than snail’s speed. Rather than blame last week’s protests on opponents or on impatience, we urge the Buhari administration to view them as a serious wakeup call. It should get its act together.