Nigerian government unleashes massive repression after #EndHunger protests

The economy in Nigeria has grown well, especially over the period 2000 to 2015. As a result, the GDP is now at least five times larger than it was at the turn of the Millennium. However, all this additional wealth, and some, has been looted by the tiny corrupt elite. The majority of the population are now significantly poorer than they were at the end of the military era in 1999. This growth in poverty has accelerated massively in the last 15 months. This is primarily due to the new Government allowing the price of petrol to shoot up and massive devaluation of the local currency. 

The trade unions have a militant tradition, but their action is increasingly not meeting the required demands. As a result, for example, the real value of the minimum wage (which greatly influences all public sector salaries) has halved over the last five years. In 2019, the then new level of the minimum wage could buy 200 litres of petrol. At the end of July this year, when the recent increase of the minimum wage became law it would buy 100 litres of petrol. Recent shortages mean it will only buy 50 litres or less.

The new president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the main trade union centre, Joe Ajaero, has called at least half a dozen general strikes since he took up his position in February last year. However, all the strikes were called off before they were due to start or after not much more than a day. As a result, the following main demands from Socialist Labour (one of the largest socialist organisations in Nigeria) are not being achieved:

• a decent minimum wage with annual increments in line with inflation
• payment of all salary and pension arrears in states
• reversal of school and tuition fee hikes and the introduction of a maximum affordable fee level
• reversal of the hikes in petrol and electricity prices
• removal of the collection of fees, dues and tolls from petty traders.

The mass protests at the beginning of August showed the extent of the hunger in the land. In some places all the young men from a whole community joined massive almost spontaneous demonstrations. This was met with horrendous government repression. Around 40 protesters were murdered by the police and other security forces and tear gas was widely used; perhaps 1,500 arrested and detained with no legal representation or access to the courts. 

The government was clearly very worried by the scale and support for the resistance against its anti-human policies of increased fuel prices, higher electric tariffs, unpaid low minimum wages, higher school fees, higher tax rates, higher food prices, higher transport costs and bad governance. The state hopes that heavy repression will stop future protests against hunger, higher petrol prices and bad governance. They tortured many and hundreds remain in detention. Some are being held well beyond the constitutional limit of 48 hours before going to court. The High Court in Abuja gave the police a further 60 days to hold over 70 young men from Kano. The young men are accused of waving Russian flags, that became the symbol of resistance in Kano. This is clearly not illegal in Nigeria.

In Abuja, 10 people are also being held on the serious charges of treason, incitement to mutiny, and levying war against the state. This is despite the complete lack of any evidence. The accused are being represented by Femi Falana who has led and won the defence for four previous treason trials.

The President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, was detained by the secret police for 12 hours and stopped from attending the TUC Congress in Britain. The NLC gained his release by organising for an indefinite general strike. The NLC, in their initial press release over the detention of their President correctly said:

We equally demand that the state frees all Nigerians languishing in various prisons around the country for exercising their democratic rights to protest in the #EndBadGovernance rallies around the country.

Unfortunately, these other demands were immediately forgotten with the release of Joe Ajaero. Another trade union leader is still being held in prison after being picked up at 2am six weeks ago.

Eleojo Opaluwa, of the electricians union (NUEE) is being held with nine others in Kuje Prison. They face a range of serious charges including conspiracy to commit treason, inciting to mutiny and levying war against the state (all carrying the death penalty). These charges arise from alleged organising and participating in the #EndBadGovernance/#EndHunger Protests in early August.

However, the police case is extremely weak, especially as the ten detainees hardly know each other, despite being accused of conspiracy. Five lived in Abuja, but the other five were brought from Kano for waving Russian flags. 

The only thing that appears to unite the five detainees from Abuja is that they were all members of a WhatsApp group that was only created on 27 July. They are not all admin members of the group and some of the admin have not been accused by the police. There were around 450 members of the WhatsApp group at its height with around 30 having left.

Femi Falana, a lead human rights lawyer in Nigeria, has said:

The basis for charging 10 protesters for treason and terrorism for participating in the August 2024 protests is to scare Nigerians from challenging the unpopular policies of the Government. Hence, the reasons adduced for the detention of the defendants are completely jejune. For instance, Comrade Michael Adaramoye has been charged with treason because he answers to the sobriquet “Lenin”. Comrades Elejo Opaluwa and Mosiu Abolaji are also detained in the same police station for belonging to a socialist organisation that supported the protest.

Millions of Nigerians supported the #EndBadGovernance/#EndHunger Protests from 1^st August. It is this that has upset the government. The police appear to have picked up a random group of people to be punished for the activities of hundreds of thousands of protesters. We can only hope that they will be given bail and then found not guilty in the near future.

Many other detainees are being held, especially in the far northern towns and cities from Sokoto in the West, through Kano to Maiduguri in the east. In one court case in mid-September, 37 protesters were released after up to six weeks in jail and 48 were given quite tough bail conditions (paying the equivalent of three years of the minimum wage). Socialist Labour is calling for trade union branches to adopt a detainee.

Further protests are being called from 1^st October and some local ones are still taking place. Next time these protests need the full support from the NLC. A coalition of the masses in the streets and a robust general strike can easily defeat this government. Then we can begin to see the reduction of hunger, poverty and inequality across Nigeria.