Nigerians are bracing up for nationwide protests over prevailing economic hardship, poverty and hunger
A controversial Nigerian social media critic, Martin Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has publicly criticised Folashade, the daughter of President Bola Tinubu, for telling Nigerians to let her father govern for three years before accessing his tenure.
Folashade Tinubu-Ojo had in a viral video, asked Nigerians to be patient with her father while admonishing parents to stop their children from participating in the planned hunger protest scheduled for August 1 to 10.
Responding in a video on Monday, VeryDarkMan expressed his disapproval of the Folashade’s statement while urging her to, in turn, beg her father to desist from plunging Nigeria into more woes.
Otse argued that it was unreasonable to expect silence from the masses while the current administration exacerbates economic hardship.
The social media critic maintained that Tinubu’s first year in office was the worst so far and emphasised the severe impact of the drastic increase in fuel prices.
“Did you realize that people will not be complaining if your father does not have the first worst year in office in the history of Nigeria’s presidency?,” he queried.
“Warn your father, tell him that Nigerians are suffering. Talk to Daddy for us. Did you warn your dad when he went to protest against Goodluck Jonathan when he raised the fuel price from N65 to N87? The only thing I won’t approve of is that the protesters are violent. Stand for your rights, Nigerians.
“Protest, but don’t loot. Look at the prices of things. Fuel is N700 plus, and it is still not available. See the queues in gas stations. You can’t increase the price of things, and they will still not be available,” VeryDarkMan said.
Nigeria is facing its worst economic crisis in decades, with skyrocketing inflation, a national currency in free-fall and millions of people struggling to buy food. Only two years ago Africa’s biggest economy, Nigeria is projected to drop to fourth place this year.
The pain is widespread. Unions strike to protest salaries of around $20 a month. People die in stampedes, desperate for free sacks of rice. Hospitals are overrun with women wracked by spasms from calcium deficiencies.
Although Mr Tinubu increased the minimum wage — after strike action and months-long negotiations with labour unions — from N30,000 to N70,000, his government has increased spending for officials at a time of nationwide starvation.
For workers earning the new N70,000, or $43, per month minimum wage, capricious inflation and naira value have inflicted too much damage for the changes to make any difference in their lives.
The crisis is largely believed to be rooted in two major changes implemented by President Bola Tinubu, elected 14 months ago: the partial removal of fuel subsidies and the floating of the currency, which together have caused major price rises.
A nation of entrepreneurs, Nigeria’s more than 200 million citizens are skilled at managing in tough circumstances, without the services states usually provide. They generate their own electricity and source their own water. They take up arms and defend their communities when the armed forces cannot. They negotiate with armed kidnappers when family members are abducted.
But right now, their resourcefulness is being stretched to the limit.
Some folks are planning protests to voice their concerns about the economic situation, including rising inflation and poverty, under President Tinubu’s administration.
The protests are expected to happen in the north and other parts of the country, but residents and leaders of the south-eastern region, inhabited by the Igbo ethnic group – have made it clear that they are not going to be part of the mass action.
The planned protests have already ignited debates on social media between Mr Tinubu’s supporters — who had previously advocated for similar protests under former president Goodluck Jonathan in 2012 — and next month’s would-be demonstrators.
Mr Tinubu’s government warned that a breakdown of law would not be tolerated, while Nigerians were furious that the same individuals who, in 2012, organised demonstrations against Mr Jonathan’s government for terminating fuel subsidies are now aggressively opposing the same cause under a different leader.
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