ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerians protested Tuesday against economic hardship as the West African nation celebrated its 64th independence anniversary, with the president calling for patience. Police fired tear gas to disperse some protesters, leading to clashes.
Dozens of people in a few states waved banners and the green and white national flag, demanding better opportunities and jobs for young people, in a country that has some of the largest the highest levels of poverty and hunger in the world despite being one of the largest oil producers on the continent.
It was the second protest in two months in Africa’s most populous country, amid mounting hardship caused by government reforms introduced to save money and support declining foreign investment. During the last protest in August at least twenty demonstrators were shot dead and hundreds of others were arrested.
The government has defended the reforms even as they have helped push inflation to a 28-year high and pushed the local naira currency to a record low against the dollar.
In the capital Abuja, where government officials and the military attended an independence anniversary parade, some protesters were dispersed with tear gas in another part of the city.
There was heavy security along major roads in other cities, including in the economic hub of Lagos some demonstrators were killed during demonstrations against police brutality in 2020.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who has been in power since May last year after an election campaign built on “renewed hope”, defended the reforms where necessary and said they were already delivering results, such as $30 billion in foreign direct investment in recent years. years have been attracted. year.
“Once again, I plead for your patience as the reforms we are implementing are showing positive signs and we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel,” Tinubu said in a broadcast.
Tinubu announced a national youth conference whose recommendations on key national issues will be considered and implemented.
The protests gained momentum on social media as many people complained about their difficulty finding a job or not having enough to eat.
Nigeria remains “an unfortunate case of running really fast and staying in the same place,” said Cheta Nwanze, managing partner at Lagos-based research firm SBM Intelligence.
Nigeria continues to perform poorly in key areas such as education and health, he said.
“If your population is not healthy… or educated, you cannot possibly make progress,” Nwanze added.