Josephine Obiajulu Okei-Odumakin, president of the Women Arise for Change Initiative and the Campaign for Democracy says recurring protests in the continent is an indication that Africa has not reached its zenith of development and civilisation.
“Youths are the trustees of the prosperity of any nation. Protests are expected in a society of progressive and liberated minds. I am a product of protest,” she said while urging protesters to remain peaceful as they continue to express their agitations.
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“Peaceful protests remain lawful means of expression,” the human rights activists said in a chat with our correspondent.
Okei-Odumakin comments follow steeply the sweeping demonstrations that have gripped Africa where campaigners are calling on their governments to ease their living conditions.
Drawing inspiration from youth-led movements that shook the Kenyan government and sparked intense crackdowns in Uganda, thousands of Nigerians are on the streets for a rally dubbed #EndBadGovernance.
As the demonstration hits Day 2 in Nigeria’s commercial capital city, Lagos, protesters are calling on the federal government to reverse its economic policies as they march on, demanding solutions to the lingering cost of living crisis that is testing their resilience.
Protesters blame economic reforms for poor living conditions
Bayo Adeola, an activist and one of the protesters said ever since the economic reforms were in place, prices have skyrocketed, pushing hunger to its highest in decades.
“You will recall that before Tinubu’s reforms, rice was sold around N30,000, petrol was less than N200 per litre and even garri was not as expensive as this,” he said, stressing that the policies are yet to bear fruit over a year.
Hundreds of protesters at the Peace Park were chanting “we are hungry”, illustrating how high living costs are taking a toll on citizens’ lives who are now calling for more actions from the government that promised “renewed hope”.
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The placard-wielding demonstrators have inscriptions as “Reverse fuel price hike now”, “Hawkers are suffering”, “Please safe our generations to come” – painting a sobering image of how the policies are hurting ordinary Nigerians whom over 80 million are extremely poor.
Multilateral lenders, World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, have said the reforms were necessary to aid the already fragile economy from running aground.
Another protester said “Tinubu is punishing us with anti-poor policies” — lamenting of how difficult it has been for him to make ends meet despite working “day and night”.
The discontent stems from President Tinubu’s decision to ease currency controls and reduce subsidies on fuel and electricity, reforms that were sorely needed to rein in runaway government debt and attract the foreign investment needed to kick start the economy.
The policies which took effect some 15 months ago were made “hurriedly” as many analysts put it without readily available plans to mitigate their spiraling impacts on the citizens.
These reforms have seen inflation jump to its highest level in almost three decades, driving interest rates up, hurting businesses borrowing costs and many finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet as purchasing power shrinks.
On the flip side, the reforms have equally attracted foreign inflows as foreign investments into Africa’s biggest economy rose to $3.38 billion in the first quarter of 2024, from $1.09 billion reported in the previous quarter, according to the the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
While many critics blamed the policies to be “ill-timed”, Afreximbank, a leading import and export financial institution, believes that more structural reforms will boost the country’s economy.
Lagos protest peaceful so far
Protest at the Ojota area of Lagos has been peaceful so far with zero record of violence.
Demonstrators have refused to enter the park which was approved for the rally, with many saying “they cannot be confined to a place”.
Though the demonstration has been largely peaceful in Lagos as government is making efforts to avert the repetition of the #EndSARS 2020 experience, Amnesty International says 13 people who were peacefully participating in rallies have been killed in three separate incidents.
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