Nigerians in Kano state have taken to the streets on a “warm up” protest over the hike of petrol price from N195 to N617, and other harsh economic policies of the President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government.
Photos making the rounds online shows a group demonstrating on Tuesday under the coordination of Joint Action Front (JAF).
The group comprising the JAF, the Alliance for Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB) and Coalition for Revolution (CORE) raised concerns over the naira devaluation, school fees increment and soaring cost of foodstuff amongst other concerns.
On Monday, the Joint Action Front declared their total support for the Nigeria Labour Congress nationwide action scheduled to begin on Wednesday, August 2.
The civic organisations in a joint declaration titled: “August 2nd, 2023 as the beginning of nationwide resistance against fuel price hike and anti-poor policies is sacrosanct,” and signed by Femi Falana (ASCAB), Baba Ayelabola (CORE), and Achike Chude (JAF), had said they would join in the protest until victory was achieved.
The demonstrators had said that the minimum aim of the forthcoming struggle is the reversal of the “criminal hike of petrol from N617 to N195, reversal of other criminal policies like fee hike in public tertiary institutions, devaluation of the naira” which they noted had made life unbearable on Nigerian masses.
“We support the decision of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to call Nigerian workers and poor masses out on protest starting from Wednesday, August 2, 2023, against the wicked and neoliberal policies of the President Tinubu government, including, the severe hike in the price of petrol and devaluation of the naira,” the statement read in part.
The organisations tasked the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) with unity in their engagement with the Federal Government and encourage them to jointly mobilise for mass action.
