“We dey protest because we dey hungry,” Nigerian activist Banwo Olagokun tell BBC.
Im dey part of di Take It Back Movement, one of di groups wey call for 10 days of protest from dis Thursday – even though goment don beg dem to stand down.
“We dey protest becos di inflation rate don affect us to di point wey we no fit afford di simple tins of life – food, water, clothes, medicals,” Oga Olagokun, 36, add put.
Nigeria dey experience dia worst economic crisis in a generation. Annual inflation dey at 34.19% – dia highest in almost three decades. Food prices dey rise even faster – for example, for di commercial capital, Lagos, yams na almost four times more expensive dan last year.
Pipo dey often say Nigerians dey tough and dem also say dem sabi adapt quick- quick to changing circumstances.
Why Nigerians wan protest on August 1?
For recent months some pipo dey buy tomatoes wey don nearly rotten, cheaper, lower-grade rice and fewer meals to survive. But e no dey clear wetin go be di breaking point.
Di Take It Back Movement want di goment to tackle di cost-of-living crisis, and also to offer free education at all levels.
“We just dey demand for di reversal of di tins wey dey make tins expensive,” Oga Olagokun tok.
Some of Take It Back Movement oda demands include to scrap di kontri 1999 constitution, to allow Nigerians wey dey live abroad to vote for elections and release di Biafran separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu from prison.
Di national co-ordinator of di movement, Juwon Sanyaolu, wey be 31 years, say dem partly draw dia inspiration from recent events for Kenya, wia youth ginger I no go gree protest to force President William Ruto to scrap one controversial tax-rise plan.
Im say di demands of di Nigerians wey dey plan to demonstrate dey realistic and e fit lead to similar change.
“If Kenyans dey call for di dissolution of [President William] Ruto cabinet, I dey sure pipo go dey tok say, ‘Your goals dey unrealistic’. But today, dem don dissolve di entire cabinet,” Oga Sanyaolu tok
“Dem only exercise democracy,” Im add put.
Di planned protests don draw di attention of Nigerian goment.
In recent days, cabinet ministers don hold two emergency meetings to discuss how to respond to dis protest mata.
President Bola Tinubu appeal through Information Minister Mohammed Idris Malagi, and ask organisers to cancel dia plan, im also tell dem to dey patient.
“Young pipo suppose give di president more time to see to di realisation of all di goodies im promise dem,” e tok.
Several state govnors also don speak out to discourage pipo to enta streets, dem warn pipo of violence.
Abia state Govnor Alex Otti say young pipo suppose “tink about di implications to enta streets”, im draw ear say e fit cause more harm dan good.
Ova di last week, goment agencies don make different announcements wey many pipo feel say dem dey try to appease di public.
Dem include re-opening applications for young pipo to receive financial support to start or expand dia businesses.
Di state oil company, di Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, open job applicants, wey see dia website crash.
Protest organisers say di goment offers no dey enough, dem add say di move don ginger dem more to protest.
“We get pipo on ground and already di goment dey grant concessions and advertise jobs here and dia,” Oga Sanyaolu tok.
“If young pipo insist and put dia leg for ground, we go get more.”
Nigeria economic difficulties dey linked to three main tings – di first one, na goment policy wey end fixing of di value of di currency, di naira, to US dollar.
Di move na to encourage foreign investment, but e cause di naira to fall in value by around 70%, and dis contribute to inflation.
Secondly, na di removal of subsidy on fuel di plan na to cut goment expenditure, but as pump prices increase e affect oda goods.
And thirdly, di economy also feel di effect of di security crisis, kidnappings increase and attacks across di kontri too, dis affect di supply chains and drive up costs.
Di state of di economy, for many pipo, spoil President Tinubu first year in office.
But, di goment dey insist say di reforms dey necessary to reduce public spending, something economist Muda Yusuf agree wit, but believe say dem no carefully plan am well.
“Di policies dey inevitable becos di economy bin almost don collapse at di time current administration take over. Our debt level don increase well-well,” Im tok.
“Wetin I think say di president for do differently, na to roll out measures to cushion di outcome of di policies more quickly.”
Di “mitigating measures” wey di goment put in place include distributing 40,000 tonnes of grains from di national reserve and to give temporary cash payments to very poor pipo.
Di crisis don make many businesses to suffer.
One caterer for Lagos, Abosede Ibikunle, say her regular customers now dey cook dia own food for events.
“Eviritin don cost. Nothing cheap. Pipo dey suffer, pipo dey die, dis hardship too much.”
Some pipo dey fear say di protest fit lead to a repeat of wetin happun for di last protest wey young Nigerians do four years ago for di west African kontri.
Wetin bin start as unhappiness for 2020 about di brutality of police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars) wey now dem don-disband become avenue for young pipo to vent dia anger.
Di demonstrations, wey dem call #EndSars afta protesters push di hashtag on Twitter (now X), end suddenly afta two weeks wen members of di armed forces open fire during one demonstration for Lagos.
President Tinubu daughter, Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, also warn market traders for Dosunmu, Lagos, to prevent dia children from protesting now, she tok about di violence wey bin happun dat time.
“Make we tell ourselves, family, and children say nothing like protest for Lagos. Na trick to destroy di kontri … look as dem bin burn goment properties. You see say dem bin dey fight against us?”
Defence tok-tok pesin Maj Gen Edward Buba warn say di kontri military go intervene to prevent any violence for di protests, while police chief Kayode Egbetokun blame “self-appointed crusaders and influencers” say na dem dey behind dem.
Organisers don call di warnings of violence as disguise for a potential crackdown by goment, dem say e no go put dem off.
“I no be prophet, as I like to tok, but one thing I go guarantee be say, Nigerians get strong mind and I know say we go protest,” Oga Sanyaolu declare.
“Di protesters get nothing to lose but dia chains,” Im add put, referencing Karl Marx.
Im come cite one hymn: “A man wey dey down, no dey fear to fall. We dey down already, so we don lose our fear.”
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