Days of rage: Counting the cost of hunger protest in North

Buffeted on several fronts by factors that undermine indices of socio-economic growth and development, the resort to looting, vandalisation of property, and loss of lives during the #EndBadGovernance protest simply aggravated the situation in the pathetic North and set the region back by several years. SAXONE AKHAINE, NJADVARA MUSA, MURTALA ADEWALE, RAUF OYEWOLE and DANJUMA MICHAEL report that stakeholders are laying the blame at the doorsteps of northern leaders for years of poor governance in the region.

Without a doubt, the recent #EndBadGovernance National Protest foisted on the North, had devastating social and economic consequences, especially with the attendant loss of lives, destruction of infrastructure, and looting by hoodlums.

Even though the protest christened Days of Rage and aimed at expressing displeasure against hunger and unfavorable government policies ended barely three weeks ago, the destruction and mayhem that was unleashed by hoodlums in most northern states has further devastated the region still battling insecurity and economic backwardness.

While the organisers of the protest may have succeeded in drawing the attention of the Federal Government to the hardship and dire effects of bad governance in the North in particular and Nigeria in general, the rage has further impoverished the region and worsened its development.

Sadly, the affected states have now been left to rebuild the infrastructure and public property with the scarce resources that should have been channeled to developmental purposes.

It has always been touted that over 70 per cent of Nigeria’s poverty is manifest in the North, and on countless occasions, northerners, especially in the North West and North East zones have been described as being far poorer than their southern counterparts.

In February 2022, a survey conducted by the Department for International Development (DFID), an international agency responsible for improving the living standards of developing countries confirmed the assertion.

With this scenario in sight, it is ironic that the few infrastructure and other assets, which people in the region have complained of their inadequacy became the target of destruction and looting during the protest as disgruntled northern youths, and hoodlums wreaked havoc on private and public facilities, including shops and business premises in major cities in Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Borno, Nasarawa, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, and other northern states.

Before authorities slammed dusk to dawn curfews in some of these states, in two days, property worth over N477 million and 32 man-hours were lost in the major cities and towns of Borno and Yobe states.

Public property, including buses, police patrol, and utility vehicles were torched by the protesting youths in Maiduguri metropolis, Potiskum, Nguru, and Gashua, a border community with the Niger Republic.

According to the authorities of Maiduguri Monday Market (MMM), 32 man-hours were also lost during the two-day protests, when the two markets were closed in Maiduguri and Damaturu, the Yobe state capital.

In the Maiduguri metropolis and the Jere Local Council, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse was vandalised, and rampaging protesters looted various food items and other humanitarian aides valued at N7.5 million.

Besides the warehouse, the youths vandalised the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) facility that contained skills acquisition tools, estimated at N15 million.

The Mechanical Village on Damboa Road, including the Borno State Mechanical Workshop along Baga Road, was also vandalised and the youths looted the skills acquisition equipment valued at N15 million.

A community leader in the state, Mustapha Fannami, told The Guardian that under-aged children smashed windshields of vehicles plying the roads.

He said that during the two-day protests, youths destroyed the windshields of private and commercial vehicles, and the cost of replacing them was estimated at N8.5 million.

Other public property lost in the protest included three police patrol and utility vehicles estimated at N31 million.

In Yobe State, youths torched seven buses belonging to the Potiskum Local Council.
An eyewitness, Malam Isa Yakubu (not real name) said that the buses set ablaze by the protesters had been generating revenues to the council.

He noted that it would be difficult to replace the torched buses that were procured by the council at N15 million each.

Other property destroyed in Potiskum, included streetlights and the traffic warden sheds along Kano Road.

In Nguru, 230km west of Damaturu, the protesters attacked and vandalised a pharmaceutical store belonging to Alhikma and the local council storage facility.

The youths and hoodlums also vandalised and looted whatever materials that they could lay their hands on, even as traders’ wares’ in Nguru estimated at N35 million were not spared

Other property destroyed in Nguru, including the local council information van, while the former council chairman also had his vehicle vandalised.

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facility complex of Sen. Ahmed Lawan, was also vandalised and all the billboards at roundabouts and streets of Nguru were removed.

Kaduna State was also badly hit by the protesters as government facilities and private businesses suffered losses.

Facilities affected include the Office of the Kaduna State Traffic and Environmental Law Agency (KASTELLA), where hundreds of seized motorcycles were carted away by hoodlums.

The violent protesters also vandalised streetlights along Ali Akilu Road, while the Kaduna State Investment and Promotion Agency was looted.

Jigawa State is still nursing the pangs of restocking its agricultural supply company, as well as fertiliser and grains store, which were all looted.

The hoodlums vandalised a popular eatery at Sokoto Road, and the perimetre fence surrounding the Northern Nigerian Development Company (NNDC) building along Ahmadu Bello Way.

In Niger State, Katagum Local Council Secretariat, as well as that of Tafa Local Council was burnt down.

Two All Progressives Congress (APC) offices were looted and razed in Katsina State alongside houses belonging to a member of the House of Representatives in Jigawa State.

In Yobe State, no fewer than seven buses were burnt, by hoodlums, on the first day of the protests. Among the private property looted was Bima Lodge, in Gombe, and the burning of six cars at a car stand in the Gombe metropolis. A privately owned hotel was stripped bare as almost everything including beds, mattresses, doors, curtains, etc., were carted away before the hoodlums proceeded to Kumbiya-Kumbiya hospital, where they took a patient with drip-off a bed and carted away all the beds and mattresses in the facility. They also looted the Gombe State Bureau of Public Service Reform, a government parastatal located near the Government House, Gombe.

Presently, Bauchi State is struggling with the rebuilding of the Katagum Local Council Secretariat; Government Lodge, Islamiya School, and a house belonging to the immediate past deputy governor, Baba Tela.

The hoodlums razed the Administrative Office of Katagum Local Council, looted valuable items there, and brutally confronted security agencies.

The state governor, Bala Mohammed, had promised to rebuild the affected places while assisting private businesses and individuals that were affected.

His Gombe State counterpart Inuwa Yahaya, also directed the State Emergency Management Agency to assess the extent of damage for intervention and donated N10 million to traders who suffered losses.

In Kano, the mob vandalised the printing press, considered one of the oldest such facilities in the country.

The Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi, when assessing the damaged press that was established in 1933, said his great-grandfather worked at the printing press. He also expressed his dismay over the vandalised NCC Digital Industrial Park.

The skills acquisition centre was established in the North-West geopolitical zone to cater to an estimated 10,000 youths from Kano and neighbouring states.

In Zamfara State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) office was also vandalised, as well as some cement warehouses.

In terms of human casualty, dozens of people met their untimely deaths, including a police officer who was hit by a stray bullet after hoodlums infiltrated the protesters and the police moved in to save the situation.

Another stray bullet victim, a civilian was wounded inside his house, at Hayin Danmani Community of Igabi Local Council of Kaduna State. But two young men in the community were not lucky enough as they were reportedly killed when they burgled a rice processing mill.

A resident of the community, Bala Wushishi said the situation was made tense as security forces moved against rampaging youths who took over the protest and caused mayhem.

Appraising the ugly development, civil rights activist and former member of the Senate from Kaduna Central Zone, Shehu Sani, said that northerners should blame themselves for the underdevelopment witnessed in the region for so long.

He also blamed Arewa leaders for drawing the country backward for the past five decades.

According to Sani, no one should be held accountable for the present economic and social woes ravaging the North, but the Arewa people themselves have decided to undermine all indices of socio-economic growth and development.

Sani’s position was further echoed by another public analyst, Hassan Daudu, who said that President Bola Tinubu should have saved the North, and the country the consequence of a national protest by being proactive.

“If the president had taken advantage of his address to announce a cut in the cost of governance in Nigeria, amid the hardship and poverty among the citizens and channel the proceeds into the economy, things would have turned out differently,” he said.

Sharing Daudu’s views is a communication and public relations expert, Dr Andee Iheme, who said that President Tinubu missed the opportunity to speak to the protesters, who gave about a month’s notice of protest.
Iheme cautioned the government to cut down on factors draining its purses to provide needed development and skill sets that could spur the nation’s industrialisation bid.

To forestall a re-occurrence, northern youths under the aegis of the Arewa Youth Assembly for Good Leadership (AYAGL) are prepared to dialogue with the Federal Government to fashion out a proper way of addressing the hardship and bad governance that is ravaging the country.

The Speaker of the AYAGL, Ambassador Andul Danbature, who served as one of the organisers of the protest stated that the movement was started because they wanted to express their grievances, anger, and the need for the Federal Government to meet the needs of the people.

For a former Secretary General of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Elder Anthony Sani, the cost of the protests in the region is colossal.

“More distressing is the fact that these destruction are happening amid security challenges posed by insecurity against, which all hands should be on deck,” he said.

As to the social cost, he explained: “It is much more than imagined in the sense that youth in the North did not heed the calls by elders, religious leaders, traditional leaders, and socio-cultural groups, as well as, well-meaning northerners not to engage in the protests.”

Professor of Political Science, Bayero University, Kano, Kamilu Sani Fagge, posited that the protest painted the North in bad light because some elements were plotting to overthrow President Tinubu’s government because he is not from the North.

“The protest has seriously affected the North in many areas. First, is the issue of credibility tests. The crisis will further build the chain of distrust between the government and citizens. Already there is the problem of hunger, poverty, insecurity, inflation, and so on while the leaders are more concerned about their political interests and winning the next election.

“It has also created bitter politics, especially in the North. Take for instance just because some youths were waving Russian flags, the whole region is being painted black, and with claims everywhere that some disgruntled elements in the North don’t want the continuity of the system just because they are out of power.”

Another scholar, author, and researcher, Ibrahim Ado Kurawa, argued that the undue influence of the Federal Government was responsible for worsening the protest in Kano, arguing that the crisis has further exposed existing weaknesses and predicaments in the North.

A university teacher, Dr Jibrin Shagari, thinks that the protests moved the states and the country backward in terms of infrastructural development.

“The protest has led to a deficit of infrastructure due to the destruction of government property, and several billions of naira have been lost due to the looting and destruction of private businesses,” he said.

Also, the Kastina State chapter of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) believes that such losses and damages could have been avoided if the government had addressed the people’s grievances before the protests.

On his part, the Chairman of the Jama’atu Izalatul Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS) in Katsina State, Sheikh Musa Yakubu, said that the protest should serve as a lesson for politicians who often treat the rights of the people that they govern with levity.