Nigerians Protest In Abuja, Demand Urgent Action On Poverty, Hunger And Economic Hardship
Citizens March in Abuja, Demand Food Security, Jobs, Social Protection, and an End to Poverty
Hundreds of Nigerians took to the streets of Abuja, the nation’s capital, on Friday to protest the rising cost of living and demand an end to social and institutional poverty across the country.
The peaceful march—tagged a call to action—was also held simultaneously in Lagos, Yola, Yobe, Nasarawa, and other states.
In Abuja, the procession began at the Labour House, with protesters carrying placards bearing inscriptions such as “Our pots are empty because the system is broken!”, “President Tinubu, we cannot eat promises!”, “We beat our pots today because hunger beats us every day!”, and “Empty pots, empty promises—we can’t cook hope!”.
Others read: “Three out of four rural dwellers now live below the poverty line!”, “139 million Nigerians in poverty—enough is enough!”, and “When the cost of food rises faster than wages, hunger becomes a national emergency!”.
The protesters, under the newly launched Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria (MOTiON), said the demonstration coincided with the commemoration of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, aimed at pressing for government accountability and policy reforms that directly benefit ordinary Nigerians.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Andrew Mamedu, Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, urged authorities to tackle the root causes of poverty, including fiscal mismanagement and illicit financial flows that reportedly cost Nigeria $18 billion annually.
He acknowledged the federal government’s claim of reaching 8.1 million households with ₦330 billion but expressed concern over the lack of transparency and citizen participation in monitoring the disbursement of such funds.
ActionAid and its partners called for greater civil society involvement in tracking government welfare programmes, open tendering in procurement, and the urgent convening of a National Poverty Summit to harmonize policies on food security and poverty eradication.
Also addressing the crowd virtually, Femi Falana (SAN) said Nigerians “have no business being hungry” in a country so rich in resources. He emphasized that the fight against poverty must begin with institutional reforms that make governance accountable and responsive to citizens’ needs.
Falana said:
“Ending maltreatment begins with reclaiming the idea that the Nigerian citizen is not a subject to be pitied, but a rights holder to be respected. Public institutions must exist not as tools of oppression but as guarantors of dignity.”
He added that Nigerians must continue to hold leaders accountable until governance serves humanity rather than power.
Hawa Mustapha, the convener of the protest, explained that MOTiON—an acronym for Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria—was formed to demand urgent action against hunger, unemployment, and corruption.
She outlined the group’s six key demands, including:
- An end to hunger, with an emergency national dialogue on poverty.
- Creation of at least three million jobs within the next two years through concrete government policies.
- A revived and expanded school feeding programme for primary school children.
- Extension of cash transfer programmes to all 139 million Nigerians living in multidimensional poverty.
- Improved access to education and healthcare for vulnerable citizens.
- Stronger anti-corruption measures and fiscal transparency at all levels of government.
Mustapha concluded:
“We have no business being poor in a country of plenty. No Nigerian is more Nigerian than the other—we all have a collective stake in this nation. This is just the beginning; we will not rest until Nigeria truly works for all its people.”