Aggrieved youths in Edo State on Wednesday blocked the busy Benin–Lagos Expressway at the Ugbowo axis, protesting what they described as worsening economic hardship in the country.
The protest led to heavy traffic gridlock for several hours, leaving commuters and motorists stranded along the ever-busy route.
Eyewitnesses say the youths barricaded sections of the road, disrupting both inbound and outbound movement, while chanting slogans and expressing frustration over the rising cost of living and lack of job opportunities.
The protesters, who did not disclose their identities, carried placards with inscriptions such as “No Jobs,” “Kidnapping Is Now a Money-Making Venture,” and “Tinubu Must Go.”
Security operatives later arrived at the scene, with a police team led by the Divisional Police Officer of the Ugbowo Division intervening to restore order and ease traffic.
The youths, however, vowed to sustain the protest until their concerns are addressed by the authorities.
Nigerians groan following some policies by President Bola Tinubu since assuming office on May 29, 2023.
While economists said sweeping reforms were long overdue, they have caused the cost of living to skyrocket.
Major reforms included liberalising the exchange rate and ending costly fuel subsidies.
The masses are also feeling the global effect from the Middle East war, following the United States/Israel strikes against Iran.
The fallout from oil disruptions is reverberating across the world, unsettling lives across the globe as people adjust to fuel price hikes and gas shortages.
Benchmark oil prices are hovering around $100, a surge of around 40 to 50 percent since the war against Iran began to disrupt oil supplies.
Nigeria’s electricity supply is unstable at the best of times, but has worsened in recent weeks due to gas supply shortages, forcing businesses and households to spend more on private power generators.
“I am currently spending more than 33 percent more on fuel than I used to,” Sanni, told AFP.
In Nigeria, petrol prices rose recently from 830 naira a litre in Lagos to 1,250 naira ($0.59 to $0.90) — a record high in a country where the pump price was just 195 naira at the beginning of 2023 — before easing to 1,130.
Public transport fares have jumped by as much as a third adding to the misery of passengers still reeling from a cost of living crisis caused by reforms that slashed fuel subsidies.
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