BENEATH the swirling wave of protests on the streets of the country is the oppressive and spiking cost-of-living crisis. In a country notorious for low wages, high unemployment and shabby social services, Nigerians are being pushed to the wall. Before Tinubu, Nigeria had witnessed the 2012 petrol protests under Goodluck Jonathan and the #EndSARS protests in October 2020 under Muhammadu Buhari. Tinubu aggravated the crisis in June, prompting the Central Bank of Nigeria to float the naira. From the June 2023 rate of 22.79 per cent, inflation accelerated to 28.99 per cent in December.

Source: Punch February 09, 2024 12:30 UTC