Nigeria’s Independence Anniversary is Marked by Protests and Frustration Over Economic Hardship

Nigerians on Tuesday staged protests against economic hardship as the West African nation marked its 64th independence anniversary with its president calling for patience. Police fired tear gas to disperse some of the protesters, resulting in clashes.

Dozens of people in a few states waved placards and the green-and-white national flag, demanding better opportunities and jobs for young people, in a country that has some of the world’s highest poverty and hunger levels despite being a top oil producer on the continent.

It was the second protest in two months in Africa’s most populous country amid worsening hardship caused by government reforms introduced to save money and shore up dwindling foreign investments. During the last protest in August, at least 20 protesters were shot dead and hundreds of others were arrested.

The government has defended the reforms even though they have helped push the inflation rate to a 28-year high and the local naira currency to record lows against the dollar.

In the capital city of Abuja where government officials and the military attended an independence anniversary parade, some protesters in another part of the city were dispersed with tear gas.

There was a heavy security presence along major roads in other cities, including in the economic hub of Lagos, where some protesters were killed during demonstrations against police brutality in 2020.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who has been in office since May last year after an election campaign forged on “renewed hope,” defended the reforms as necessary and said they were already yielding results, such as $30 billion in foreign direct investments attracted in the last year.

“Once again, I plead for your patience as the reforms we are implementing show positive signs, and we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel,” Tinubu said in a broadcast.

Tinubu announced a national youth conference whose recommendations on key national issues will be considered and implemented.

The protests were gaining momentum on social media as many people complained of their struggles to find jobs or not having enough food to eat.

Nigeria remains “an unfortunate case of running very hard and staying in the same place,” said Cheta Nwanze, managing partner at Lagos-based SBM Intelligence research firm.

Nigeria continues to perform poorly in key areas like education and health, he said.

“If your population is not healthy ... or not educated, you can’t possibly make progress,” Nwanze added.