Similar protests had rocked Niger, Kano, Osun and Lagos (Mr Tinubu’s home state), protesting hunger and other hardships.
In the past nine months, prices of staple foods have spiked almost 200 per cent as inflation ravages the Nigerian economy.
Sources had it that market survey c recently conducted in some markets in the Abuja and environs showed that prices of most food items have increased by almost 200 per cent compared to what was obtainable.
A bag of rice, a common staple food among Nigerians, now sells for N65,000 against N35,000 for which it sold.
A bag of yellow garri, which sold for N25,000, has jumped to N40,000, while white garri now sells for N30,000 against N13,000 for which it sold before the Tinibu administration.
A bag of corn that sold for N19,000 last year May now sells for N60,000, a bag of Millet sold for N18,000 now sells for N55,000, while flour for baking and pastries sells for N50,000 against N28,000.
A ‘long slate’ of ‘Titus’ (mackerel) now sells for N105,000 against N78,000 for which it sold last year. A square cartoon of ‘Titus’ sold for N38,000 the previous year now sells for N78,000, while a 25 litre of palm oil formerly sold for N31,000 now sells for N41,000.
Nigerians across the country are lamenting of the rising cost of food items, saying, “People are crying and starving that things are too expensive. They don’t have money to buy.
Some Nigerians are wondering what could be the fate of the poor Masses who might not be able to afford the recent hike in prices of food.
“I don’t know whether Nigerian masses can bear what is happening in the market space now,” a trader laments. “Formerly, a packet of Maggi is N600; now it is N1000; a ‘mudu’ of garri was formerly N300, now it is N600. A ‘mudu’ of rice formerly was N1,200; now it is N2,000
“Every day you go to the market, your money is depreciating. Because what you bought today for N100, tomorrow you will buy it for N300. Meaning, you can’t stock the number of cartoons you stock before.”
Inflation accelerated after President Bola Tinubu’s sudden announcement of the removal of the petrol subsidy in his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, followed later by the CBN’s policy of floating the naira.
As supported by experts, the duo policies of Mr Tinubu have seen petrol prices rise from N145 per litre to N630, while the naira plunges against the naira in the parallel market, trading at about N1,500 to $1.
Nigerians have cried out over economic hardship with inflation and food prices spiking under Mr Tinubu’s watch. Earlier in the week, protests over soaring food prices rocked two northern states, Niger and Kano.
Mr Tinubu acknowledges the country’s prevalent hardship but urged Nigerians to ensure.
“The financial re-engineering of our country is ongoing. We are determined to deliver Nigeria safely through the tunnel of hope, stability, and economic prosperity,” said Mr Tinubu in December.
Nigerians are angry, traders are angry, why kidnapping is on the increase.
