Nigeria’s president called for an end to nationwide protests over the cost of living crisis, dismissing demonstrators’ demands for the restoration of fuel subsidies and other measures after four days of unrest in which a dozen people have died.
In a televised address on Sunday, his first comments since protests began last week, Bola Tinubu appealed for dialogue but defended a “painful yet necessary decision to remove fuel subsidies and abolish multiple foreign exchange systems which had constituted a noose around the economic jugular of our nation”.
“My dear Nigerians, especially our youth, I have heard you loud and clear,” Tinubu said. “I understand the pain and frustration that drive these protests, and I want to assure you that our government is committed to listening and addressing the concerns of our citizens.”