President Bola Tinubu has told Nigerians protesting against a cost of living crisis that he has “heard” them as he called for the suspension of the demonstrations and an end to “bloodshed.”
Tinubu, who said this in his first public comments since protests broke out last week via his televised address on Sunday, called for an end to violence in several states since the protests started. He added that he was always open to dialogue.
“My dear Nigerians, especially our youth, I have heard you loud and clear. I understand the pain and frustration that drive these protests, and I want to assure you that our government is committed to listening and addressing the concerns of our citizens,” Tinubu said.
“But we must not let violence and destruction tear our nation apart,” he added.
Tinubu, who has been in office since May 2023, defended his economic reforms, which included the removal of petrol and electricity subsidies and the devaluation of the naira, as necessary to reverse years of economic mismanagement.
In his address, Tinubu added: “Security operatives should continue to maintain peace, law, and order in our country following the necessary conventions on human rights, to which Nigeria is a signatory.”
He also said the government was ramping up spending on infrastructure projects, starting a loan scheme for university students, and building thousands of housing units across Nigeria’s 36 states.
Government revenues had more than doubled to 9.1 trillion naira ($5.55bn) in the first half of this year, while 68 per cent of revenue now went to debt servicing, down from 97 per cent before Tinubu took office in May last year.
Thousands of people began taking to the streets on August 1 to protest against government policies and the high cost of living. They also mobilised online to demand a cut in petrol prices and electricity tariffs, among several demands.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police said they had arrested nearly 700 people in the first two days of the protests, accusing them of “armed robbery, arson, mischief,” and destroying property.
Amnesty International has urged police to release demonstrators and refrain from firing live rounds to break up crowds.
On Friday, it said, “Security personnel at the locations where lives were lost deliberately used tactics designed to kill while dealing with gatherings of people protesting hunger and deep poverty.”
