Nigeria Offers Jobs and Grants Ahead of Planned Protests

Amid rising discontent over bad governance and a high cost of living, Nigeria is offering youth jobs in the state-oil company and billions of naira in grants to discourage nationwide protests set for August 1.

This move follows recent youth-led protests in Kenya and Uganda, which have significantly impacted those countries' governments.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC Ltd) announced job vacancies nationwide on X (formerly Twitter) for the first time in nearly a decade, leading to a flood of applications that crashed their website. This follows the ministry of youth development's relaunch of a 110 billion naira ($70 million) youth investment fund, aimed at job creation.

Additionally, Nigerian lawmakers passed a new minimum wage law, more than doubling the lowest monthly earnings. Despite these efforts, inflation has surged to a 28-year-high of 34.2%, driven by President Bola Tinubu's removal of fuel subsidies and currency devaluation.

Prominent Nigerians, including religious and traditional leaders, have urged youth to avoid the protests, citing economic concerns. The government, requesting more time to address hardships, has warned that protests could spiral out of control, with both police and army leaders issuing stern warnings.

However, protesters insist on their right to peaceful demonstrations, accusing the government of using violence warnings as a pretext for a crackdown.