During his presidential campaign, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the current president of Nigeria, envisaged the likely protests that would break out because of his plans to remove fuel subsidy if he emerged president of the country. In response, he remarked in pidgin English, “Una go protest tire”, which translates to ‘You will protest until you are exhausted’. Despite foreseeing resistance, Tinubu, who prides himself as a pro-democracy activist, expressed his determination to proceed with these policies.
It was not surprising therefore that once he emerged as winner of Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election, he abruptly announced ‘‘fuel subsidy is gone!’’ in his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, sending the country into an overdrive. Over the past eight months since his inauguration, Nigerians have continued to groan under the weight of his economic policies, including the floating of the naira, which has plunged the country into a severe cost-of-living crisis. With inflation soaring past 30%, fuel prices skyrocketing by over 200%, increasing hunger felt in the land, and public university fees rising alarmingly, spontaneous protests have erupted across the country, from Kano to Minna, and Suleja.
Despite the gloomy consequences of these policies which have been widely condemned as ill-conceived and anti-poor by critical observers, the minimum wage still stands at a paltry #30,000 ($17), which can only buy about 48 litres of petrol. Emphasizing how many litres of petrol the minimum wage can buy in Nigeria is necessitated by the government’s continued comparison of fuel prices in Nigeria to that of other countries across the world, including the United States, where the minimum wage could buy well over 1,200 litres of petrol.
In response to the increasing hardship and calls to provide leadership, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) issued a 14-day ultimatum, demanding the government fully implement a 16-point agreement signed in October of the previous year. This Memorandum of Understanding addresses a range of pressing issues, from wage awards and palliative adjustments to government interference in union activities and the illegal proscription of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN).
Aware of the capricious nature of the NLC and TUC, the Joint Action Front (JAF) and the Coalition for Revolution (CORE), with support from Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), declared an independent action on the 26th of February. This action preceded the 27th and 28th, which were marked by the NLC and TUC as days of action should the government fail to implement the agreed terms.
True to their words, on Monday, 26 February 2023, members of the affiliate organizations of both JAF and CORE took to the streets to protest the cost-of-living crisis in the country. Despite an excessive show of force by the police at the NLC secretariat gate (the starting point of the march) early that day, the protest proceeded as scheduled. The demonstrators marched from the secretariat in Yaba to Maryland over a period of three hours.
Has the Nigerian Police Turned a New Leaf?
While the NLC protest was held as planned on the 27th of February, the congress called off the second-day action, opting to issue another ultimatum to the government. Amid the remarkable stories that characterized the protests of the NLC across the country, a standout narrative was the conduct of the Nigerian Police in Lagos State. In a surprising turn of events, the Nigerian police, notorious for its hardline stance on mass demonstrations, exhibited civility during the #EndHungerProtest which has been the recurring theme of recent protests.
True, there was an initial show of force aimed at intimidating protesters on the day of the JAF & CORE action, the tide however changed when a photo taken by the CAPPA team, capturing the situation and shared on X (formerly Twitter) by another protestor, attracted significant attention. The ensuing public scrutiny that followed compelled the police to abandon their intimidating tactics, and afterward, civilly escort the protesters till the conclusion of the demonstration.
The police conduct was even much better and surprising the next day during the NLC-led protest. Officers were seen distributing essentials like bottled water and biscuits to protesters in Lagos, a gesture as surprising as it was welcome. This shift, however, raised eyebrows, especially against the backdrop of recent repressions – the crackdown on young UNILAG #FeesMustFall protesters some months back, the violent repression of previous demonstrations including the #EndSARSMemorial and #OccupyLekkiTollGate protests, to name a few. It begs the question: where did this “strange character” of civility emerge within the Police? Has the Nigerian government truly embraced the sacred right to peaceful assembly, or is this merely a fleeting façade?
On a lighter note, one also wonders about the source of this newfound generosity. The same police institution that often demands citizens to fuel their vehicles before they do their jobs now distributes bottled water and biscuits to protestors with the grace of seasoned philanthropists. This newfound civility, surely, is something to be celebrated and encouraged. Perhaps, the police might even lead the next charge and protests for good governance. After all, the average police officer is hardly a stranger to the struggles of the common man. They too are part of the oppressed, struggling to feed their families, educate their children, and live in peace, away from the relentless drone of the “I better pass my neighbor” generator everywhere in the country due to lack of electricity.
As the economic and social crises deepen, a broad network of conscious Nigerians, civil society organizations, and social movements face the task of putting the police’s new-found civility to the test while mounting pressure on the government to fix the economy. The question this time is: will the Nigerian police maintain their restraint, or will they revert to their infamous heavy-handedness? Can consistent, large-scale protests reshape society and compel the Nigerian government to prioritize the well-being of its citizens over austerity measures? The coming months will undoubtedly be a crucible for Nigeria’s democratic ideals and the resilience of its people in the face of adversity. As the nation grapples with the fallout of economic turmoil, the sustained mobilization of citizens and the government’s response will definitely be one to watch out for.
