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Protesters have blocked Kaduna Road, a highway in Niger State linking Kaduna to Abuja.

This comes three days before the planned 10-day nationwide protest by some groups to demand an improvement in Nigeria’s economic situation.

The protesters carried placards with several inscriptions such as ‘We Are Not Slaves’, ‘Enough is Enough’; ‘Stop Anti-Masses Policies’, ‘Hardship Is Unbearable’ and ‘Fuel Subsidy Must Be Back.’

Monday’s protesters appeared unwilling to wait till Thursday as they chanted anti-government slogans.

The organisers of the nationwide protests want an improvement in the cost of living and a reversal of some government policies, particularly the removal of petrol subsidies.

Organisers of the planned protest against hunger and hardship, the Take It Back Movement, has vowed to go ahead with the protest at Eagle Square in Abuja, whether or not the government approves usage of the venue.

The Mobilization Director of the organisation, Damilare Adenola, who was speaking on the Channels TV’s Sunday Politics, said the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had been written to for permission.

The youth leader had signed a letter addressed to the minister, seeking use of the facility.

The letter was dated July 26, 2024, and was broadcast on social media platforms.

However, as of Saturday, the minister said he hadn’t received the letter.

“Who are these people who want to protest? They have applied to me to grant Eagle Square. Do you apply to me through social media?”

“You will write a letter to the minister. I will see you; who are you; what do you want to do? How many days do you want to spend? How much will you pay?

“You must apply properly. You must pay what we call security cost so that if there is any damage to the facility, we will take from that security cost and repair it.

“We don’t just give people because you have applied. You must fulfil the conditions. People have paid for Eagle Square, and you said you have applied to me now.

“So, I should go and cancel the other people’s own because you want to protest? It is first come, first served.

“I am not saying that people should not protest, but not protest that is aimed at destabilising the government,” he added.

However, Adenola, on Sunday, blamed the delay in the delivery of the letter on bureaucratic bottlenecks in government but said the minister would get the letter unfailingly on Monday.

“It is possible that the receipt of the letter is being delayed by most likely bureaucracy in government or the minister is likely being insincere about receiving the letter.

“If he (Wike) insists that he hasn’t received it, the alternative is that he was served by publication because many Nigerian ministries streamline what to receive or not. If he says he didn’t get it physically, then we could as well say that he was served by publication.

“The truth is that the Eagle Square is a public property. When I saw the video of the minister, I was amazed because I saw the minister asking us to pay rent, pay security fees and all that.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has postponed monthly clearance and weekly community development services for corps members across the country.

Leading reporters learnt these NYSC activities were postponed ahead of protests scheduled to begin on August 1.

The protest, which is themed “End Bad Governance in Nigeria”, is planned for August 1 to 10.

This was contained in a memo sent to State Coordinators, Local Government Inspectors (LGIs), and Zonal Inspectors (ZIs) across the 36 states of the federation.

The memo read: “In furtherance to our earlier memo reminding corps members of the scheme’s policy prohibiting participation in any form of protest, all corps members are informed that biometric clearance and CDS activities are suspended with immediate effect. The date for the presumption of these activities will be communicated in due course,” read the memo.

“Due to this postponement of all NYSC activities, all corps members are directed not to wear their uniforms for any reason this week.

“During this period, all corps members are assured that they will be attended to in their mufti.

“I wish to reiterate that the scheme promotes unity and will not tolerate any corps member participating in any form of protest that could lead to the breakdown of law and order.”

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to sell crude to Dangote Refinery and other upcoming refineries in Naira.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, made this known in a post via his official X handle on Monday.

Onanuga stated that the move, which is to ensure the stability of the pump price of refined fuel and the dollar-Naira exchange rate, was adopted by the Federal Executive Council today.

Leading reporters gathered that Dangote Refinery, at the moment, requires 15 cargoes of crude, at a cost of $13.5 billion yearly. NNPC has committed to supply four.

However, the FEC has approved that the 450,000 barrels meant for domestic consumption be offered in Naira to Nigerian refineries, using the Dangote refinery as a pilot.

The statement added, “The exchange rate will be fixed for the duration of this transaction.

“Afreximbank and other settlement banks in Nigeria will facilitate the trade between Dangote and NNPC Limited. The game-changing intervention will eliminate the need for international letters of credit, further saving the country of dollar payments.”

Less than 72 hours before the nationwide demonstrations, the Nigerian Police Force has reportedly imposed a strict curfew, starting at 4 p.m. for all protests.

Leading reporters reports that the police have urged protesters to convey their messages and conclude their activities before this time.

Additionally, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun has requested that all groups planning to participate in the demonstrations submit their details, including names and addresses, to the commissioners of police in their respective states.

According to the police, this measure is standard procedure to facilitate effective communication, ensure the safety of all participants, and prevent any unlawful activities.

Starting August 1, Nigerians are expected to gather in large numbers to peacefully protest against issues such as poor governance, economic hardship, and widespread hunger. The peaceful protests are planned to take place across all thirty states of the federation.

Efforts to reach the public relations officer of the force, Muyiwa Adejobi proved abortive as all his line were not reachable at press time.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has ordered the immediate reactivation of lines affected by NIN-SIM verification.

It would be recall that over the weekend many telecom subscribers/consumers were unable to access their phone lines because of the inability of many telecom consumers to verify their National Identification Numbers (NINs) with their Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs).

This meant that their numbers were blocked by their telecom service providers in keeping with laws and policies of the NIN-SIM linkage.

Director Public Affairs, NCC, Reuben Muoka disclosed this in a press statement explained that Telecoms consumers and the public will recall the compulsory linkage of NIN with SIM which began in December 2020 when the government directed telecommunication companies to bar unregistered SIM cards and SIMs that were not linked to NIN.

Mouka noted that since December 2023, the Commission has since reviewed the deadline a few times; April 15, 2024 was set as the deadline for the full network barring of subscribers with four or fewer SIMs that had unverified NIN details. This deadline was then reviewed to July 31, 2024, to give consumers more time to ensure their submitted NIN details are properly verified. Despite these extensions, many phone lines are yet to be linked with verified NINs.

The objectives of this exercise by the Federal Government of Nigeria include enhancing national security and ensuring the national SIM ownership database is accurate.

The NIN-SIM linkage policy aids in verifying and protecting users’ identities while also providing a critical infrastructure that assures access to the benefits of a robust digital economy for the citizenry.

Meanwhile the commission states that “The consumer is our priority, therefore, considering the challenges the blockages have caused, the Commission has directed all operators to reactivate all lines that were disconnected over the weekend in view of the short time available for consumers to undertake the verification of their NINs with their SIMs. Reactivated consumers are to note that this is for a limited period to allow them to properly link their NIN to their SIM.

“Members of the public who are yet to verify their SIMs are encouraged to do so as soon as possible to maintain access to their lines.”

President Bola Tinubu has signed the minimum wage bill into law, ending months of deliberations between government authorities, labour unions, and the private sector.

He signed it at the State House in Abuja on Monday days after the National Assembly had passed the bill.

More to follow…

Some youths have trooped to the streets of Suleja in Niger State to protest the ongoing cost of living crisis in Nigeria.

They wielded placards such as ‘Enough is Enough’; ‘Stop Anti-Masses Policies’; ‘We Are Not Slaves In Our Country’; ‘Hardship Is Unbearable’, ‘Fuel Subsidy Must Be Back’, among others.

The protesters marched on the streets as they chanted anti-government songs.

Our correspondent caught up with some of the protesters on Abuja-Kaduna expressway axis of Suleja and attempted to speak with them but they declined.

The Federal and State governments had made several efforts to stop the protest, saying it could be hijacked by hoodlums and enemies of democracy.

Last week, Governor Mohammed Bago had wooed residents of Niger with welfare packages to prevent the protest.

He had announced a N20,000 wage allowance for state and local government civil servants, ordered the immediate release of 50,000 metric tonnes of assorted grains to be sold at subsidised rates to mitigate the current economic hardship.

“We have over 100,000 metric tonnes of food in our reserves, out of which we will be releasing 50,000 metric tonnes to be sold at 50% of its present price. Before the end of the year, we will slash food prices by 90%,” he had said at a townhall meeting.

To show appreciation for their efforts in combating banditry, insurgency, and other criminal activities, the governor announced a gift of one Prado Jeep to each head of security agency in the state.

Although some of the organisers of the protest had announced August 1 as kick off date, others said it would commence in July.

The government or security agencies are yet to react to the protest which held in Niger.

Commuters plying the Keffi-Abuja expressway have been left stranded as military officers have barricaded the highway to conduct a stop-and-search operation on vehicles entering the nation’s capital.

The unexpected blockade, mounted at Sani Abacha barracks before the popular AYA roundabout, left many people caught off guard.

This has led to a gridlock that extended as far as Nyanya Bridge, over 12 kilometres from the checkpoint.

Many civil servants and traders, who live outside the city centre in places such as Nyanya, Karu, Maraba, and Masaka, have also been left stranded.

Reports have it that after hours of standstill, many were forced to return home, frustrated and disappointed.

This incident comes just three days before the planned nationwide protest against the current economic hardship in Nigeria. The protest, scheduled to begin on August 1, aims to draw attention to the rising cost of living and economic hardship faced by many Nigerians.