Protests over hardship and parlous economic conditions in the country, continue to spread across Nigeria as residents of Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, took to the streets on Monday to protest against the high cost of living, skyrocketing prices of basic commodities, and fast deteriorating economic conditions in the country.

The protesters who defied police warning started gathering at around 11:00 am in the Mokola area of Ibadan. The agitators could be seen displaying placards with inscriptions like ‘End food hike and inflation,’ ‘The poor are starving,’ and ‘Tinubu, don’t forget your promises,’ among others. The protesters were also seen shouting and calling the government to intervene.

The police had warned the protesters yesterday when they got wind of it, that they would not tolerate any attempt to disrupt law and order, and warned citizens not to participate in the action because it could cause chaos in the state capital. However, the protesters shunned the police warning.

Protesters in Ibadan

But the security operatives could not help but to be present and prevent any violent display and escalation at the protest ground. The protesters were clearly unstoppable.

Last year, at his inauguration, President Bola Tinubu announced the elimination of fuel subsidies; later, his administration decided to devalue the Naira and allow the country’s currency to float freely. Consequently, Nigerians have been suffering from severe economic hardship and skyrocketing inflation as a result of the economic policy since the removal of fuel subsidies. More so, food prices and other commodities have also skyrocketed as an aftermath.

Speaking at the protest, Solomon Emiola one of the agitators, stated that “every citizen has the right to air their opinion and they can not say because they are here today, we must not allow every other Nigerian to exercise their constitutional right under Sections 39 and 40 of the country’s constitution which empowers every Nigerian to organize peaceful assembly and to speak about the economic hardship.

“On this note, this is not today’s only, this is just the start, this protest is a continuous action, so expect protests from any angle. It is not about me alone but about Nigerians, because the problem does not only affect me neither but everyone. So on this note, every Nigerian, whether home or abroad, if you have the capacity, organise we will be there for you. It is a duty that we are signing for and we must collectively fight for our liberation. Enough of this high in cost of living, we cannot afford three square meals. We must collectively fight for this and make sure that things are brought back to normalcy,” he added.

Similar protests have taken place in Niger, Kogi and Kano and other states, in which residents of the states took to the street to protest economic hardship in the country.

Meanwhile the organised labour has also given the federal government an ultimatum to intervene into the current hardship and high cost of living in the country. The labour union also threatened to stage a 2-day national protest across the country on 27 and 28 of this month if the situation persists.