Nigerian President Warns Youth Not To Join 'sinister' Protests

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has urged youths not to join nationwide protests over the cost of living scheduled for next week, saying the protests are the work of “sinister” people who are “taking advantage” of the country’s economic woes.

It is said that the organizers drew inspiration from events in Kenya.

Protesters in the East African country are now calling on President William Ruto to resign after he agreed to key demands including scrapping planned tax hikes and sacking almost the entire cabinet.

The last mass demonstration in Nigeria was three years ago, against a reviled police unit accused of extrajudicial killings.

The #EndSARS movement achieved its goal of disbanding the police, but was violently suppressed, with dozens of protesters killed.

As protests scheduled for August 1 in Nigeria approach, President Tinubu has called on organisers to abandon their plans.

“To take advantage of the economic problems in the country, some men and women with sinister motives are said to have mobilised citizens, especially youth, to protest,” he said.

The speech was delivered on behalf of the President to a gathering of traditional leaders on Monday by the Secretary to the Government, George Akume.

Referring to India, which has been hit by religious conflict, and Sudan, which has been devastated by civil war, he added: “Let us learn from the experiences of India and Sudan. We are a country of over 200 million people. That is why we cannot afford this kind of situation.”

Union leaders are urging Mr Tinubu to sit down with the protest organisers and not dismiss their concerns as “sponsored political discord”.

“A situation where most Nigerian families are forced to eat one miserable meal a day and food from the trash bin calls for serious intervention from the government,” the Nigeria Labour Congress said.

But Tinubu’s camp accuses supporters of defeated presidential candidate Peter Obi of planning the protests and drumming up support on social media with hashtags such as #TinubuMUSTGo and #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria.

“Obi should be held responsible for anarchy,” said presidential adviser Bayo Onanuga in an online message.

Mr Obi’s Labour Party has has issued a statement denying thisHe called the allegations a “fabrication of the author” and called the government “childish.”

“The Labour Party, Peter Obi and our supporters are not planning any protests,” the statement continued, but added emphatically: “People have the right to protest and it is within their constitutional right.”

Mr Obi mobilised youth, particularly in southern Nigeria, in the 2023 election but came third. He claimed the results were rigged in Mr Tinubu’s favour, but a court dismissed his case.

According to local media, there is also opposition to the planned protests from a group of small-scale retailers called the Self Reliance for physically challenged traders of Nigeria, who say they “do not want to experience the unrest and violence that erupted during the #EndSARS protests, which have left deep scars on our country.”

Across the continent, in Uganda, there are similar fears of Prresident Yoweri Museveni whow warned protesters against ‘playing with fire’ and accused them of trying to undermine his government, while “we are busy creating prosperity” for the country.

On Tuesday, a number of demonstrators were arrested as they tried to enter parliament to protest against what they said were high levels of corruption within the government.

On the same day in neighboring Kenya, police tear-gassed hundreds of protesters in the capital Nairobi, many trying to reach the main airport and shut down operations.