Nyesom Wike, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister appear at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, on Thursday, 1 August 2024, as protest throughout the country got underway.

At about 4:00 pm, the former Governor of Rivers State was escorted into the President’s office after getting out of a black Toyota Prado sports utility vehicle according to a source.

As of this reporting, the subject of their conversation is still unknown, although it is almost certainly related to the current demonstrations taking place in the nation’s capital. However, after the meeting, Wike did not brief the media.

Crowds flocked the FCT’s central business area and surrounding suburbs in large numbers during the nationwide protests that broke out on August 1. Security personnel used tear gas to scatter the demonstrators.

The PUNCH saw people in Abuja who appeared to be thugs brandishing sticks and hurling stones at passing cars. The planned protest meeting place, Eagles Square, was heavily guarded, with armed men blocking the entrance to the Presidential Villa. According to organizers, Nigerians are demonstrating against the growing expense of life.

The #EndBadGovernance demonstration, which was planned to take place in all 36 states as well as the Federal Capital Territory, has garnered popularity on social media. The largest nation in Africa is experiencing what some have called the greatest economic headwinds in a decade.

President Bola Tinubu declared when he took office 14 months ago that he would stop providing gasoline subsidies because it would free up funds for the government to spend on infrastructure development. Additionally, he consolidated the foreign exchange rates, claiming that this would prevent currency arbitrage.

However, as food costs skyrocketed, these policies precipitated a collateral decline in the value of the naira. Furthermore, the fact that many farming communities have experienced widespread insecurity has resulted in farmer displacement, which has raised food costs.

Experts speculate that Nigerians may have been inspired by comparable protests that took place in Kenya before this one. Youths in Kenya have been staging large-scale protests for weeks, which have compelled President William Ruto’s government to reverse its tax rise plans.

Read Also: “We Reject Faceless Protest in Akwa Ibom” Ex-militants