These protests underscore the resilience and activism of the Nigerian people in their pursuit of justice, equity, and better governance.
It is believed that the federal government has already stepped up advocacy and appeals to avoid what happened in Kenya a few weeks ago.
The planned demonstration slated for Thursday, August 1, further stretches Nigeria’s rich history of civil protests driven by various socio-political and economic issues.
These protests have significantly influenced the country’s trajectory. Here are five historical protests that have left an indelible mark on Nigeria:
1. Aba Women’s Riot (1929)
-->
-Advertisement-
The Aba Women’s Riot, also known as the Women’s War, was a major anti-colonial revolt by women in southeastern Nigeria.
On November 1929, thousands of Igbo women marched against the British colonial authorities’ imposition of taxes on women, a policy seen as exploitative and unjust.
The women used their traditional practice of “sitting on a man” to express their displeasure, which included singing and dancing around the houses of warrant chiefs and colonial officials.
The protests, which lasted until early 1930, resulted in the deaths of about 50 women but forced the colonial government to abandon the tax and revise its policies regarding women.
