Protest erupts in Niger State over hunger, high cost of living
Residents of Minna, the Niger State capital, on Monday, have blocked major highways in the metropolis to protest hunger and high cost of living in the country.
The protesters including women and youths were heard chanting protest songs, while security agents including policemen looked on.
Read Also: UniAbuja Launches Bicycle As Alternative Intra-campus Transport
The protesters said the rising cost of food items and poor government effort to arresting the situation forced them to block major roads so that government will hear their cry.
The Deputy Governor of Niger State, Yakubu Garba, while addressing the protesters, said the government is aware of the pain and hardship families are faced with at this time. He said the government is working towards reducing the cost of living and consequences of the petrol subsidy removal.
During his inaugural speech on 29 May 2023, President Bola Tinubu declared that the decades-long subsidy on petroleum products has been scrapped. Few months after the policy kicked in, there has been an exponential rise in the price of petrol and food items all over the country making life difficult for low-income earners.
