Nigeria, Africa's largest democracy, has been under enormous pressure recently.
Attacked by rising inflation, Food insecurity and that rising fuel costs and energy that Nigerians needed to endure reduced purchasing power, hunger And Youth unrest.
These aspects have led to unrest in various parts of society, including requirements for higher wages for civil servants.
At The Conversation Africa, we’ve collaborated with academic experts to achieve insights into the problems troubling Nigeria and Nigerians. Here are eight key articles we’ve published on developments in Nigeria.
Fuel subsidies abolished
In considered one of his first acts as Nigerian president, Bola Tinubu announced the whole abolition of fuel subsidies. This mustn’t have been a surprise, as all of the leading candidates within the presidential election had promised to finish this subsidy, which is seen as a serious drain on the country's resources. But as Stephen Onyeiwu explains, the devil could also be within the mouth.
Employees demand more
With fuel subsidies removed and inflation high, Nigeria's trade union naturally demanded higher wages. This led to tensions and strikes. The Nigerian government eventually increased the national minimum wage to 70,000 naira (US$42.14) per 30 days. Stephen Onyeiwu argues that this will not be an answer for Nigerian employees.
Inflation contradicts global logic
The Nigerian government continues to try to unravel the issue of rising inflation and its impact on the purchasing power of residents using various approaches. Interestingly, some strategies that worked in other parts of the world appear to have failed in Nigeria. Stephen Onyeiwu explains that inflation in Nigeria is the results of several aspects.
Government declares state of emergency
As food prices continued to rise – and are estimated 25 million People suffered from hunger – President Bola Tinubu explained a state of emergency on account of food insecurity. Stephen Onyeiwu expressed doubts in regards to the effectiveness of this approach, arguing that food inflation in Nigeria requires a daring and well-thought-out strategy to rework agriculture and rural life.
Hunger affects children
With rising fuel prices, food inflation and food shortages, Nigerian children are affected by severe food poverty. According to Unicef, the United Nations Children's Fund, 11 million Nigerian children are affected. Blessing Akombi-Inyang warns that affected children are vulnerable to stunted growth and development, becoming more vulnerable to disease and experiencing higher mortality rates.
Distraction of attention
Given the economic challenges, the Nigerian government had time to alter the country's national anthem. The government decided to interchange an anthem adopted in 1978 with an old one which was originally officially introduced in 1960. The bill was rushed through the National Assembly inside days. Samuel Oyewole believes this was nothing greater than an try and divert attention from the actual problems.
Corruption is the actual wrongdoer
Nigeria often is the largest democracy in Africa, but that is just on account of population size. When it involves the true values of democracy, including good governance, Nigeria appears to be lagging behind. Fidelis Allen attributes this to corruption and an absence of social policies.
Nigeria’s young population offers potential
The population of Nigeria was estimated at approx. 206 million in 2020. The country is by far probably the most populous in Africa. And it has considered one of the biggest Youth population on the planet. With a mean age of 18.1 years 70% of Nigerians are under 30 and 42% are under 15. Akanni Ibukun Akinyemi and Jacob Wale Mobolaji write that the scale and youthfulness of the population – if well managed – offers great potential to expand Nigeria's role as a regional economic center of Africa. However, a big population of young individuals with limited opportunities represents additional social pressures.
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