Economic downturn: Nigerian government begs for patience, more time as nationwide protests looms

With barely a few days until the proposed nationwide protests in Nigeria, the federal government has called on the organisers of the rally to be patient and give more time to address the economic problems facing the country.

The appeal is coming barely a day after the country’s Inspector General of Police warned against protests, stressing that Nigeria has had enough of the post-demonstration fallout.

The West African nation is battling with 34.2% inflation, the highest in nearly 30 years amid a cost of living crisis after President Bola Tinubu last year ended a popular petrol subsidy and devalued the local currency.

Citizens, especially the youth, are calling for protests to express their anger over the bleeding economy, which authorities fear it will turn violent.

Following a meeting between cabinet ministers and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to discuss the impending protests, Information Minister Mohammed Idris told reporters that there was no need for demonstrations.

He called on the protesters to cooperate and give the government more time, stressing that everything that they have asked for will be answered with time.

The upcoming demonstrations, titled “End Bad Governance in Nigeria,” aim to pressure the government to address various issues, including providing free education, tackling insecurity, declaring a state of emergency on inflation, and transparency in lawmakers’ salaries.

Earlier, the Nigeria Labour Congress which last week agreed a new minimum wage with the government, appealed to the government to hold talks with leaders of the protest movement to dialogue on their demands.