Africa is seeing more youth-led protests

By Okeri Ngutjinazo, ABUJA Nigeria

Across Africa, young people have been at the forefront of recent waves of protest, driven by unhappiness about their current living conditions and political leaders' failure to deliver economic progress.

In Nigeria, thousands of people are expected to take to the streets on Thursday to protest against the high cost of living and the government's handling of the economy.

In recent months, the country has experienced scattered protests, including a labor union strike that disrupted air travel and caused widespread power outages. The nationwide demonstration is expected to be the largest since the #ENDSars movement against police violence in 2020.

The protests, organized mainly by young people, have gained support on social media through the hashtags "EndBadGovernanceinNigeria" and "RevolutionNow." The organizers demand that President Bola Tinubu's government address hunger and economic hardship.

Nigerian youth groups have drawn significant inspiration from recent events in Kenya. There, demonstrations by led by the so-called Gen Z, a name given to the cohort of young people between the ages of 13 and 27, compelled President William Ruto to dismiss his entire cabinet and revoke an unpopular tax hike bill. This also inspired neighboring Uganda to hold a brief protest.

"If there's any country in the world where people have been taken for granted on account of their patience, Nigeria will be ranked number one," said Ibrahim Baba Shatambaya, a political commentator and lecturer at Usman Danfodiyo University in Sokoto.

Shatambaya said that the political and ruling elites had maintained social divisions among the populace for years to retain control. But the growing discontent in the country was beginning to have an impact.

"Manipulations that were used over the years by the political elites to keep the people in check seem to have faltered and people are demanding that the government should act responsibly," he said.

Nigerians have criticized the government's decision to scrap a long-cherished fuel subsidy. Its removal has led to a substantial increase in the cost of living. Many blame their current suffering on the reforms introduced since President Tinubu took office in May 2023.

Ironically, Tinubu played a crucial role in the 2012 Occupy Nigeria demonstrations, which opposed President Goodluck Jonathan's government's removal of the fuel subsidies. Now, the tables have turned, and like Jonathan, Tinubu finds himself under pressure. He has frequently said that discontinuing fuel subsidies was necessary to prevent the country from going bankrupt.

The US-based World Bank and International Monetary Fund have said the measures were needed to revive Nigeria's economy.

Authorities in Nigeria have urged young people to stay away from demonstrations. Some top officials have even accused the protest organizers of treason and seeking to destabilize the country.

Ogun State Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun cautioned the youth against protesting and called for constructive engagement with the government to find lasting solutions to Nigeria's problems.

"We must recognize that no investor will be attracted to a country perceived as unstable due to frequent protests. We should not allow ourselves to be manipulated by leaderless movements, often sponsored by frustrated politicians who have failed to gain power," Abiodun said while speaking as a guest of honor at the 22nd convocation ceremony of Babcock University in Ilisan Remo in Nigeria's Ogun State.

However, opposition leader Atiku Abubakar of the People's Democratic Party insisted that the government must provide security for "peaceful protests."

"Any attempt to suppress these rights is not only unconstitutional but a direct affront to our democracy," Abubakar said on X.

Our correspondent said the youth groups had alerted the Nigerian police force and all security agencies and "there's no going back for them to take to the street on August 1."

"It's one of the indications that the youth are desperate to have their demands or their problems solved," he said.