Nigerian Protests Fade Under Curfews and Crackdown, but 10-Year-Old Abdulhamid Continues to Starve in Jos
By Masara Kim & Ebere Inyama
(Jos) Roadblocks and military checkpoints lined the desolate streets of Jos on August 5, following a 24-hour curfew imposed in the Plateau State capital amid protests sparked by escalating hardships that turned violent according to local officials. Yet, 10-year-old Abubakar Abdulhamid continues to endure the agony of going to bed hungry, with little hope for a meal.
Just the day before, on August 4, Abdulhamid stood among a crowd of demonstrators in the city center, holding a placard that read “Stop the hunger now” while balancing a tray of peanuts in four open 150g cans on his head.
With a pale face and red, tear-filled eyes reflecting his pain and desperation, Abdulhamid told TruthNigeria that he sells peanuts to earn money for food and medicine for his sick father, but due to soaring inflation, they have been unable to afford even the basics for several weeks.
President Tinubu’s Defense
On August 4, President Bola Tinubu defended his administration’s track record, asserting that his government is committed to delivering long-term solutions to the nation’s challenges.
“For decades, our economy has remained anemic and taken a dip because of many misalignments that have stunted our growth,” President Tinubu stated. “Just over a year ago, our dear country, Nigeria, reached a point where we couldn’t afford to continue the use of temporary solutions to solve long-term problems for the sake of now and our unborn generations,” said Tinubu.
He explained, “I therefore took the painful yet necessary decision to remove fuel subsidies and abolish multiple foreign exchange systems which had constituted a noose around the economic jugular of our nation and impeded our economic development and progress.
“These actions blocked the greed and the profits that smugglers and rent-seekers made,” the President declared. “They also blocked the undue subsidies we had extended to our neighboring countries to the detriment of our people, rendering our economy prostrate,” he said.
Tinubu emphasized that these decisions were essential in order to correct decades of economic mismanagement that had not served the nation well. He listed achievements under his administration in an attempt to persuade protesters to back down.
However, the remarks in his 24-minute speech, which leaked online 24 hours before the broadcast, failed move citizens such as Abdulhamid, who, at age 10, has been freighted with adult earning responsibility.
According to Abdulhamid, his father works as a civilian guard at a mechanic shop in northern Jos, earning just enough to feed him and his baby brother for a few days. Unfortunately, this meager income isn’t enough to afford school enrollment for Abdulhamid. To help out, he started selling peanuts at the age of five, but recently, much of his earnings have gone toward his father’s medical expenses.
“Right now, we can’t even afford food,” Abdulhamid told TruthNigeria. “Sometimes, we only eat the peanuts that I buy and sell, and other times, we just boil water to drink instead of eating.”
Even though he couldn’t read the words on his placard, Abdulhamid’s voice was filled with emotion as he joined other protesters in chanting “we are hungry,” holding the sign he picked up from the ground tightly against his chest.
Protest Overview
Abdulhamid has been participating in the march since it began on August 1, expressing his happiness to walk alongside other concerned citizens while also taking the opportunity to sell peanuts. However, President Tinubu responded to the protests by threatening to crack down on demonstrators, labeling their actions as politically motivated. “Our government will not stand idly by and allow a few with a clear political agenda to tear this nation apart,” the President stated, referencing violence that erupted in several major cities.
Violence and Unrest
In the initial days of the protests, which organizers had described as peaceful, deadly clashes erupted in the northern regions of the country. At least 17 people reportedly lost their lives as police confronted protesters in Borno, Niger, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, and the capital city of Abuja.
Accusations of Political Manipulation
Prophet Isa El-baba, a prominent preacher known for his criticism of former President Muhammadu Buhari, accused politicians of inciting violence by sponsoring thugs to create chaos and justify a violent military response. “There are one or two miscreants and thugs that are sponsored by politicians and by governors,” El-baba told reporters in Jos on August 4. He emphasized that it is the President’s responsibility to address these issues, not the protesters. “These are his children and grandchildren that are out on the streets,” he remarked.
Calls for Sensitivity
El-baba rebuked Tinubu for not showing empathy in his speech, stating, “What we heard was intimidation. He is trying to force-shut the Nigerian people.”
“You cannot break the ramp of people who are going through pain. Already their backs are on the ground. They are in pain. They are in agony,” he went on to say.
Support from Former Officials
Solomon Dalung, a former minister under Buhari and a member of President Tinubu’s political party, echoed El-baba: “The President did not appeal to the protesters,” he said, criticizing the President calling security forces to continue their crackdown. Dalung said that such actions have only strengthened the resolve of the protesters, who plan to continue their demonstrations for 10 days as initially intended.
Government Response
Governor Caleb Mutfwang imposed a 24-hour curfew on the city, temporarily halting the protests, as TruthNigeria reported. El-baba signed on to the curfew. “We urge law-abiding citizens to remain calm as we shall do everything possible to ensure that the demands of the people to end bad governance are realized,” he said, indicating that the protests would resume once the curfew is lifted.
OTHER PROTEST ACTIVITY ON AUGUST 5:
South-south Youths Continue Protests Despite Appeal by President Tinibu
(Rivers state) Despite pleas by President Bola Tinibu during a national broadcast on Sunday 4th August, youths in Rivers and Edo states trooped out on the streets on Sunday 4th August to continue the protest.
In Rivers state, the dwindling number of protesters made their voices heard as they camped in front of the Federal Secretariat on Sunday, August 4, partially blocking part of the Aba Road flyover with a bathtub, chanting and singing while expressing their disappointment that President Bola Tinubu’s speech failed to address their concerns.
Speaking to TruthNigeria from Port Harcourt, Mr. Kenneth Onwukwe, an auto spare parts dealer at the mile 3 market, said the nationwide protests in Rivers state continued on Monday August 5, 2024.
“ A group of youths numbering about 50 stormed the streets of Port Harcourt city on Monday,” Onwukwe said. “The group dressed in different funny costumes, marched through Aggrey Road and Station Road, waving tree branches and chanting anti-government songs while many residents chose to go about their normal activities with various offices and shops opened for business.”
“Angered by the refusal of roadside traders to join them in the protest, they started issuing threats to residents, shop owners and motorists,” Onwukwe went on to say.
“Tomorrow, close your shop and come and join us. Tomorrow there will be no shops. If you open shops tomorrow, you will see what will happen to you,” they yelled at the roadside traders who watched them from a distance,” he added.
“Some of the protesters called for the sack of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and Senate President, Godswill Akpabio among other federal government officials,” Onwukwe said.
Edo state
Hours after Tinubu’s broadcast wherein he pleaded with Nigerians to suspend the ongoing nationwide protests, hundreds of protesters trooped to Agho junction on Ekehuan Road, Benin City, barricaded the road and mounted plastic chairs on the road where they conducted Church service, clapping, singing and dancing, while praising God and calling for end to bad governance as they prevented vehicles from plying the road.
Mr. Agho Omobude, Coordinator of Edo State Civil Society Organisations, said the protest is for 10 days and would continue as the President failed to address the protesters’ demands.
Masara Kim is a conflict reporter in Jos Nigeria and a senior editor of TruthNigeria. Ebere Inyama is an Imo – state based conflict reporter for TruthNigeria.
