A nationwide protest slated for August 1-10, 2024, organized by Nigerian youths, has triggered heightened security measures and raised alarm among government officials.
The protest aims to spotlight the deepening hardships faced by citizens and to pressure the government into reversing policies blamed for exacerbating these challenges.
A leaked police memo dated July 8 has instructed officers to preemptively prevent the demonstrations.
It directed police forces to mobilize fully equipped personnel, collaborate closely with other agencies and the military, secure strategic locations, gather intelligence covertly, and quell any unauthorized assemblies.
The upcoming demonstrations have evoked anxiety among public officials, particularly lawmakers, who fear potential reprisals amid widespread discontent over economic strains.
The Nigerian Senate convened an urgent session to discuss safety concerns, reflecting deep-seated anxieties within the political establishment.
The grievances fueling the protest are rooted in government policies that have resulted in soaring fuel prices, rampant inflation, food shortages, and unaffordable utility tariffs.
Protest organizers have articulated a list of demands, including an end to corruption in fuel subsidies, lowering fuel prices to below N300 per liter, reducing tertiary education costs, revising electricity tariffs, cutting import duties, disclosing and slashing legislators’ salaries and allowances, and reforming the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
