Law, Power, and Justice

PODCAST: The Inside Story: Nigeria/

3 August 2024/

Protestors shot/

Interview with Nigerian Government Official, Mohammed Idris.

• Once this type of protest is allowed to happen, riots occur.
• The protestors started looting and touching people.
• Rioters, looters, were violent and causing unrest.
• Once “criminal elements” go on the streets, there is a big problem with violence.
• The government has heard their voices, is “listening to you.”  “Reforms.”  There was no budget supervision in the past.
• Fuel subsidy removal happened under this government.   Nigeria’s economic situation “has been a bad one.”
• Have to “restructure.”  “Nigerians will have some kind of relief in the medium and long term.” 
• For now, “everybody has to bear up.”
• Government is there to “protect lives and property.”

Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International Nigeria; Ayisha Osori; and Kabir Adamu

• Isa Sanusi
• We warned that the security agencies must provide protection for the protests and ensure that criminals didn’t infiltrate the protests.
• Nigerians are hungry and they are angry.  They are tired of years of corruption and mismanagement.  \
• They are tired of being told stories about making sacrifices for the future. Inequality is increasing.  People have the right to protest.
• Ayisha Osori
• There is a cost of living crisis.  We have been badly managed for the past couple of decades.  People in power now have been in government before. 
• There is a lot of pain within the new policies.  This pain is with the citizens.  The executives are not feeling this pain.  There is unnecessary spending on the part of these elites.
• There is a new private jet for the president, for example.
• This is the way to hold people in power to account. 
• If they were anticipating violence, they should have been more pro-active.  You can deal with protestors without killing them.  I don’t buy the excuses of the minister.
• Kabir Adamu
• The fuel subsidy removal is affecting people too much and too quickly.
• Nigeria is an oil producing country.   But, Nigeria has to import refined petroleum.   Government would subsidize that imported oil.  There is corruption around the importation.  The subsidy should be removed, but the manner it was removed is wrong.  There were promises, but petroleum is not available.  When available it is beyond the average Nigerian.  The ripple effect is enormous. 
• You cannot expect people to live like this and remain quiet. 
• Ayisha Oaori
• It is a difficult situation for students.  Transport, lack of electricity, more expensive electricity.  This has “been decades in the making.”
• Students “have been the conscience of Nigeria in terms of protests.”
• We need to declare a “state of emergency in terms of education and health.”
• Kabir Adamu
• Ghana is going through a cost of living crisis.  So many factors have come together.  Environmental factors, political factors.  The factors are coming together at the same time in Nigeria.  Officials are not validating the situation.  Basic food items are out of reach for most Nigerians.
• Administration has put forth several policies but they are not being felt by average Nigerians.
• Isa Sanusi
• Protestors cannot be “seen and the enemy.”  Promises were that everybody would be happy and things would change.  Again, now they are saying the same thing.  “People have to see commitment.”
• There are a few people living lavishly on “government funds.”
• Ayisha Osori
• We will continue to see pockets of protests.
• “Make some sacrifices immediately.”