June 12: Protest to hit over 20 states over hardship, insecurity

A coalition of civic and youth groups has announced a peaceful demonstration across Nigeria on June 12, aimed at spotlighting escalating economic hardship, rampant insecurity, and what organizers describe as a shrinking civic space.

The movement—gnawed by its members as the “Take It Back” and “#EndBadGovernance” campaign—is uniting under a single purpose. In a joint statement, co-leader Juwon Sanyaolu decried a violent surge in the Middle Belt and northern regions, particularly in Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna, where entire communities have been decimated, and residents remain displaced

Also emphasized were the government’s economic policies: the removal of fuel subsidies and floating the naira. Both moves, critics argue, have precipitated a sharp rise in living costs and worsening living conditions. Hassan Soweto, representing the coalition, lamented the “asphyxiation of the national economy” and described Nigeria’s situation under the current administration as a regime “that has robbed citizens of their voices and freedoms”.

The organizers are calling on a broad cross-section of Nigerians—workers, students, civil society actors, artisans, and even diaspora communities—to engage in peaceful rallies nationwide. They urge security forces, led by IGP Kayode Egbetokun and Lagos commissioner Olohundare Jimoh, to allow demonstrators to exercise their rights without hindrance or force.

Ultimately, the protests are both a public rebuke and a demand: “We march not just for ourselves, but for the slain in Benue, the displaced in Plateau, the silenced in detention, and the starving masses abandoned by a corrupt elite,” read the statement