Aduragbemi Omiyale
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Some residents of Minna, the Niger State capital, blocked some major roads in the town to stage a protest over the rising cost of food and others.
The demonstrators, who were mainly women and youths, carried placards with various inscriptions to call on the government to urgently address the rising inflation in the country.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) last month disclosed that the inflation rate in December 2023 increased by 28.92 per cent as a result of a spike in the prices of food items.
Since President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, the average cost of goods and services has been rising, weakening the purchasing power of consumers.
Last December, while he was in Lagos for the Christmas and New Year holidays, some residents of the metropolis were heard crying of hunger when his convoy passed through a market.
Under his administration, the Naira has been devalued at least twice, with the last happening a few days ago, putting the exchange rate at over N1,400 to a single Dollar in the foreign exchange market.
This exchange rate has resulted in a hike in the prices of goods at the market, and with high energy costs due to the removal of subsidies on petrol, Nigerians are finding it difficult to survive.
Today, residents of Minna showed that they had had enough of the hardship, taking to the streets to vent their anger.
According to reports, the protesters barricaded the Minna-Bida Road at Kpakungu on Monday, crying that the government had made life unbearable for them.
