Amnesty International has called upon the Nigerian government to uphold human rights amidst planned youth protests concerning food shortages and the worsening cost of living. The demonstrations, broadly coordinated on social media, spotlight rising prices and economic distress affecting the younger population in Nigeria.
Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, stressed the necessity for security agencies to respect and enable the right to peaceful protest, as embedded in both the Nigerian constitution and international human rights treaties such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Nigeria is a signatory. Sanusi emphasized that government officials should avoid rhetoric that may demonize protesters or repress peaceful dissent (Amnesty International).
Despite attempts by President Bola Tinubu to revive the economy, the country faces severe economic challenges including rampant inflation and a devaluing currency. Discontent has led young Nigerians to organize rallies under the hashtag #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria, listing demands such as addressing unemployment, hunger, declining living standards, and the need for electoral reforms.
The upcoming 10-day protests in Nigeria follow similar youth-led demonstrations in Uganda and Kenya. In Uganda, protests began in late July and were largely a response to governmental corruption and perceived lack of accountability under President Yoweri Museveni. These events featured human rights violations including arbitrary arrests and excessive force by law enforcement, prompting calls from various organizations for the unconditional release of anti-corruption activists (Jurist). Kenya saw its own wave of protests from June to July, driven by demands for tax reforms and better governmental accountability (Jurist Commentary).
In Nigeria, protesters face legal challenges confining their demonstrations to public parks rather than streets. Despite a court order to restrict protests in Abuja to the national stadium, demonstrators moved into the city center, prompting the police to deploy tear gas. The Inspector General of Police has dismissed the protests as an effort to incite unrest, claiming, “Some groups of people, self-appointed crusaders and influencers, have been strategizing and mobilizing potential protesters to unleash terror in the land under the guise of replicating the recent Kenya protests.”
Additional information on this development can be found on Jurist – News.