Minna Residents Protest, Say They can’t Even Feed Once a Day

Confidence UbaniFebruary 5, 20241 Mins read426

Residents of Minna, Niger State, took to the streets on Monday to voice their frustrations over the escalating cost of living.

The impassionate protesters women and youths chanted slogans and expressed discontent with the high prices of essential items and what they perceive as inadequate government efforts.

Some of the protestors were seen wielding placards with messages like “No food, we are dying of hunger”. They obstructed major roads in Minna metropolis and refused every attempt to be pacified by the police, who eventually fired a few shots into the air.

The protestors demands were centered around improved living conditions and a reduction in the overall cost of living. The protest came amid a nationwide outcry over economic difficulties, and frail efforts to revitalize the national currency.

Addressing the protestors, the Deputy Governor of Niger State, Yakubu Garba, acknowledged their hardships and assured them that government was taking steps to manage the situation. He specifically mentioned initiatives to reduce living costs and mitigate the consequences of the recent petrol subsidy removal.

In a related context, a verbal skirmish between the Presidency and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar happened over the weekend.

Atiku hinted on the prevalence of hunger in the country, and emphasized the growing unaffordability of basic commodities.

“There’s hunger in the land”, he wrote

In response, the Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, defended the government’s reforms, suggesting that short-term sacrifices would pave the way for prosperity in the medium and long terms.