Nigeria cost-of-living protests turn violent
At least two people have been killed after security forces fired live rounds and tear gas to quell protests across Nigeria. A youth-led movement called for ten days of demonstrations against the government's handling of a cost-of-living crisis.
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00:00This is Lagos, but there were scenes like this in cities across Nigeria as thousands
00:06of people poured onto the streets to protest against the country's worst cost-of-living
00:10crisis in 30 years.
00:13Food and fuel prices are soaring in Nigeria, and people blame the government.
00:18The poverty in this country is eating, the corruption in government is uncontrolled,
00:28as in, I don't know how to put it.
00:31There is hardship in the land, people are hungry, people can no longer afford to feed.
00:36This is a terrible government, we are in mass poverty, we are in a state of penury.
00:41As an health worker, I can't even fend for my family well, not because I'm not hardworking,
00:46but because our money has no value again.
00:50Since taking office last May, President Bolotinugu has introduced economic reforms that have
00:56decimated people's purchasing power.
01:00The cost-of-living crisis has been aggravated over the past one year, driven by two major
01:07issues, the fuel subsidy remover and the unification of the exchange rates of the Naira to the
01:15dollar, to other major currencies.
01:18Those two things are a very weird combo to happen together.
01:24And the implication is that prices have skyrocketed.
01:29The country's budget is also tight, with expenses far exceeding income.
01:35But government is still spending hundreds of millions on pay and perks for politicians.
01:41President Bolotinugu came in, gun blazing and removed subsidy, asked Nigerians to sacrifice.
01:48But there's more allocation now for governors to steal, there's no accountability.
01:52Governors are not developing their states.
01:54They've gotten triple what they usually get before, in terms of allocation.
01:58But there's no justification for the allocation.
02:00The National Assembly, they are fatter, they are richer, you know.
02:04So the politicians are living fat at the expense of the people.
02:08It's the reason people were called out to rally under the banner, End Bad Governance.
02:13But turnout was low compared to the End SARS protests that brought the south of the country
02:18to a standstill in 2020.
02:22There was a strong police presence at the main protest location here in Lagos,
02:27with heavily armed officers from different units of the police.
02:31It's part of the reason many stayed away today.
02:34They feared that the police would use violent force to disperse the protests.
02:41Organisers say they will continue to come out, despite what they call police intimidation.
02:48But a curfew has been imposed in the northern Kanu state,
02:52where police fired live bullets, hot water and tear gas at demonstrators.
02:56Authorities say protests there were hijacked by thugs who looted and destroyed property.