Nigeria's infrastructure budget falls below the World Bank's recommended 70% of GDP, and experts estimate that 3 trillion U.S. dollars is needed over 30 years to bridge this gap.
Monday, August 5, 2024
Experts call for a more robust strategy to bridge infrastructure gap in Nigeria
Citizens protest cost of living in Nigeria
The demonstrations continued in Nigeria for a second day. Protesters say they're also demanding better wages and improved governance.
Related stories: Nigeria spirals into deadly anti-inflation protests - 13 Killed
President Tinubu calls for end to protests against economic hardship in Nigeria
Nigeria spirals into deadly anti-inflation protests - 13 Killed
In this northern city, the second most populous in Nigeria, protesters have been converging at the city center and making their way to Government House, seat of the state governor.
Thousands of protesters, decrying rampant inflation, chanting anti-hardship songs, and carrying placards with strident messages for the government of President Bola Tinubu, are calling for the return of a popular fuel subsidy whose removal is seen as a key trigger for rising prices.
While protests are not unusual in Nigeria, it’s less common in the predominantly Muslim north outside of university campuses. Now this level of the protests and sheer numbers of protesters in the big cities of northern Nigeria have caught onlookers, participants, and authorities off guard.
The protests have been passionate and persistent, and the response by security forces has been deadly. Even though the “End bad governance” protests have been nationwide, the 13 people killed as of Saturday Aug. 3 were in three northern states, according to Amnesty International. Police said seven of those people were killed in an explosion rather than in clashes with security forces. The government claims that the peaceful protests have been infiltrated by thugs who broke into stores to loot food items and other valuables.
Curfews have been imposed in Kano and other northern states including Jigawa, Katsina and Borno. One of the protest coordinators in Kano, Abba Bello Abba of the Nigerian Patriotic Front, said “we will continue with the protest once the curfew is lifted, we will continue to do this until our demands are met”.
While most protesters were raising placards and Nigerian flags, there was a smattering of other protesters spotted waving Russian flags and chanting “Putin!” in support of the Russian leader.
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Northern Nigeria, especially the northwest and the northeast, has suffered from insecurity with attacks on civilians and kidnappings, which have led to the displacement of tens of thousands of people. That’s exacerbated long-standing challenges with poverty and unemployment in a vast area that makes up more than half the country.
It means efforts by the government to push through difficult policies such as the fuel subsidy removal and allowing the naira to float freely, while causing economic pain for almost all ordinary Nigerians, have been particularly harsh for those in the north of Nigeria.
People of all ages have taken part in the mostly peaceful protests. Binta Adamu Sheshe, 70, said: “I am forced to join the protest as I have nothing to eat as I speak to you now, my earning a month is 20,000 naira ($12) as a casual staff in a hospital, what will do that for me in this hardship, we need to have fuel subsidy returned.”
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On Sunday morning, President Tinubu made his first public statements since the protests began, calling on Nigerians to suspend the widespread protests. He suggested that the protests had been politically motivated but acknowledged that ordinary citizens were going through a tough time. “I am especially pained by the loss of lives in Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna and other states, the destruction of public facilities in some states, and the wanton looting of supermarkets and shops, contrary to the promise of protest organizers that the protest would be peaceful across the country.”
Tinubu, who touted some of his administration’s achievements to help turn things around such as creating jobs, said he had heard the protesters “loud and clear”, and that he understood the pain and frustration behind their actions. “But we must not let violence and destruction tear our nation apart.”
By Hamza Ibrahim, Semafor
Related stories: President Tinubu calls for end to protests against economic hardship in Nigeria
Nigeria becomes first African basketball team to qualify for Olympic quarterfinals
Nigeria had reached a place no African country in men’s or women’s basketball had ever gone before — the quarterfinals of the Olympics.
Kalu scored 21 points and Nigeria secured a spot in the elimination round in Paris by downing Canada 79-70 on Sunday for its second win of the Olympics.
“It means a lot, you know, not just to us as a team, but to the entire world of Africa,” Kalu said. “It only gets harder from here.”
When the final buzzer sounded, the team went to midcourt to start celebrating, with an assistant coach using her phone to record the moment. The Nigerians stopped to high-five the Canadians, and then returned to celebrating with a midcourt huddle.
An assistant coach grabbed a flag from a fan for photos on the court, and the Nigerians took their time hugging and posing for more photos as they savored the moment.
“Surreal. This isn’t going to hit me for another couple of hours,” coach Rena Wakama said. “I’m extremely proud of my girls.”
Nigeria opened the Paris Games with a surprising victory against Australia. That was the first win in the Olympics in 20 years for the African nation.
It has been a difficult few years for Nigeria since the team reached the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup. The country was winless at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and then internal strife between the basketball federation and the government caused the team to miss playing in the World Cup in 2022.
The Olympics got off to a difficult start for the Nigerian team. The team was denied access to Nigeria’s boat for the opening ceremony on July 26.
Now Nigeria will play the defending Olympic champs in the U.S. in the final quarterfinal Wednesday night in Bercy Arena on the banks of the Seine River.
“I’m starting to see the light. I mean, the tunnel has been pretty dark, but I’m happy we get to see the light,” Kalu said. “I mean, there’s so much more, there’s so much more to come.”
Nigeria almost had company in Paris on the men’s side as South Sudan, which was playing in its first Olympic basketball tournament, narrowly missed reaching the quarterfinals. South Sudan would have been the first men’s team from Africa to advance that far, but the team lost to Serbia in its final group stage match Saturday.
South Sudan beat Puerto Rico in its tournament opener to set up the opportunity.
“We have these women. So we are very proud,” FIBA Africa Regional Director Alphonse Bilé told the AP. “We are all Africa. I can say that they don’t just play for Nigeria but play for Africa.”
By Doug Feinberg, AP
Related story: Nigeria beat Australia in Women's Basket Ball at 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris
President Tinubu calls for end to protests against economic hardship in Nigeria
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu called on Sunday for a suspension of protests against a cost of living crisis, saying this would create an opportunity for dialogue, his first public comments since frustrated citizens took to the streets last week.
Amnesty International has said at least 13 people were killed in clashes with security forces on the first day of protests on Thursday. Police denied using excessive force and said seven people had died as of Saturday - four from an explosive device during a march in northeast Borno state, two who were hit by a car and another who was shot by a guard when protesters looted a shop.
In a televised broadcast, Tinubu called for an end to violence in several states since the protests started, saying he was always open for dialogue.
"My dear Nigerians, especially our youth, I have heard you loud and clear. I understand the pain and frustration that drive these protests, and I want to assure you that our government is committed to listening and addressing the concerns of our citizens," he said.
Nigerians have been mobilising online to organise protests against economic hardship and bad governance and have called for a cut in petrol prices and electricity tariffs, among several demands.
Tinubu, in office since May 2023, defended his economic reforms, which have included a partial end to petrol and electricity subsidies and devaluation of the naira, as necessary to reverse years of economic mismanagement.
He government revenues had more than doubled to 9.1 trillion naira ($5.65 billion) in the first half of this year while 68% of revenue now went to debt servicing, down from 97% before he took office in May last year.
The government was also ramping up spending on infrastructure projects, started a loan scheme for university students and was building thousands of housing units across Nigeria's 36 states, the president said.
"But we must not let violence and destruction tear our nation apart," said Tinubu.
By Felix Onuah, Reuters
Related stories: Nigeria security forces deploy, government offers dialogue as protests loom
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