Nigerians in Distress: Before, Now and Later

On August 1, 2024, dozens of Nigerians trooped out to protest against the government. Armed with social media and youthful resilience, the protesters are against bad governance and economic hardship [in Africa’s most populous nation]. Different administrations have struggled to maintain a firm grip on the country’s financial and security situations. Both concepts have reinforced each other, leading to a tirade of severe consequences for the Nigerian people. Double-digit inflation and rising cost of living feature more frequently in public discourses, but worse off for the reality of millions of people. The ubiquity of security challenges has led to multiple humanitarian tragedies. These issues have no clear end, but their ripple effect expands with worrisome ease. The Nigerian government maintains it is on top of the situation. However, the scheduled ten-day protest kicked off fiercely, even as different groups condemned it. There were counter-protests against the August demonstrations. Some of the placards by those against it read, “Give Tinubu more time”, referring to President Bola Tinubu’s 14-month-old presidency. This edition of the Nextier SPD Policy Weekly looks at the August protests and what they mean for the Nigerian people and their government.

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