Youths from Niger State have taken to the streets to protest the harsh cost of living plaguing the country at present.
The protestors had carried placards that read; ‘Enough is Enough’; ‘Stop Anti-Masses Policies’; ‘We Are Not Slaves In Our Country’; ‘Hardship Is Unbearable’, ‘Fuel Subsidy Must Be Back’, among others.
They had also chanted antigovernment songs while marching.
This protest happening in Niger State is ongoing despite the several efforts by Federal and State governments to prevent it from happening the protest. The governments had said that the protest could be hijacked by hoodlums and enemies of democracy if it held.
Just last week, Governor Mohammed Bago had entived the residents of Niger with welfare packages with the hopes of preventing the protest.
His incentives had included announcing a N20,000 wage allowance for state and local government civil servants, ordering the immediate release of 50,000 metric tonnes of assorted grains to be sold at cheaper rates to lessen the biting economic hardship.
The governor had further announced a gift of one Prado Jeep to each head of security agency in the state in an attempt to show his appreciation for their efforts in fighting and bringing banditry, insurgency, and other criminal activities under control in the state.
What They’re Saying
The Governor had been quoted to have said;
“We have over 100,000 metric tonnes of food in our reserves, out of which we will be releasing 50,000 metric tonnes to be sold at 50% of its present price. Before the end of the year, we will slash food prices by 90%,” he had said at a town-hall meeting.
