Nigeria, warmly referred to as “Big Brother” by many people across Africa, teeters on the edge of chaos. Discontent among Nigerians has reached a boiling point, and their voices of frustration are growing louder. The protests that took place across the country from August 1–10 were a cry for help, a call to action, and a demand for change.
Those protests, organized under the hashtag #EndBadGovernance, have largely subsided, but unrest continues to smolder in a handful of states with frangible stability and an especially aggrieved citizenry who have a distrust of security and governing entities. Their continued dissatisfaction may well reemerge as further protests or manifest more broadly in unrest and conflict that could turn violent. However, it is more likely that the protest movement will slowly dissipate and that the government response will not fully address their concerns.
Nigerians are staging a protest over hardship and bad governance, tagged #EndBadGovernance, in Ojota, Lagos, Nigeria, on Aug. 2, 2024. (Photo by Adekunle Ajayi)
