Nationwide Protests Planned in Nigeria on June 12 Over Economic Hardship and Governance

By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu

The #EndBadGovernance Movement has announced a coordinated nationwide protest scheduled for June 12, citing worsening living conditions and democratic backsliding under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

At a press briefing in Lagos on Thursday, movement spokesperson Comrade Hassan Soweto detailed the motivations for the mass action, pointing to escalating economic difficulties and a tightening grip on civil liberties.

According to Soweto, recent government policies—particularly the removal of fuel subsidies and the unification of the naira exchange rate—have triggered widespread economic fallout.

“These policies have plunged millions into poverty and crushed livelihoods. In just two years, this administration has suffocated the economy with its anti-poor and neoliberal agenda,” he stated.

Soweto also condemned what he described as the administration’s drift toward authoritarianism, accusing it of suppressing dissent and curtailing fundamental rights.

“Nigerians are now living under conditions that feel like a state of siege. Freedoms that were hard-won through decades of struggle are being eroded. The civic space is shrinking at an alarming rate,” he warned.

The movement called on security agencies to uphold the constitutional right to peaceful assembly. Specifically, they urged Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun and Lagos State Commissioner of Police Olohundare Moshood Jimoh to ensure demonstrators are allowed to protest without intimidation or interference.

The June 12 protest is expected to draw large crowds across major cities, marking what organizers describe as a critical stand against governance failures.