Abuja: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigerian armed forces on Thursday warned of Kenya-style violence in protests planned for next week over the soaring cost of living, with the military saying it would avert “anarchy”.
Deadly protests have rocked Kenya, forcing the government to cancel new taxes. Nigeria’s economic reforms saw a 40 percent increase in food inflation, but no riots.
Demonstrations have been announced on social networks since August 1.
It is unclear who is worth the calls or whether people will participate at a time when many Nigerians fear losing their jobs and are wary of past crackdowns.
President Tinubu addressed these concerns in a statement on Thursday, saying: “We are not afraid of protests. Our concern is the common people and the damage that will be caused.”
In a separate statement, he said “we do not want to turn Nigeria into Sudan”, pointing to the North African country’s 15-month civil war.
“We’re talking about hunger, not burials. We have to be careful.”
Prices have risen since Tinubu ended costly fuel subsidies and liberalized the naira currency in reforms needed to revive the economy of Africa’s most populous nation.
Officials, security forces and governors urged young people to avoid any protests. Some even accused the organizers of treason and trying to destabilize the country.
“While citizens have the right to protest peacefully, they do not have the right to mobilize for anarchy and unleash terror,” defense spokesman Major General Edward Buba told reporters. “It is easy to see that the current context of the planned protest is to overshadow what is happening in Kenya, which I must say is violent,” he added.
