By Flourish Osetohanmen
For two days, aggrieved youths in their hundreds took to the streets, barricading a section of the ever-busy Benin–Lagos Expressway near the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Ugbowo Campus, in protest against worsening economic hardship.
Chanting war songs and different slogans demeaning the federal government, the mammoth crowd of people mainly youths described the economic situation in the country as “disconnected political promises,” saying “enough is enough”.
The peaceful demonstrators, halted traffic for several hours, leaving commuters and motorists stranded as they blocked key sections of the highway to draw attention to their grievances.
The protest gained momentum when more youths joined, chanting slogans and demanding urgent government intervention to address rising food prices, unemployment, and the general cost of living crisis biting very hard across the country.
They called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently do the needful to alleviate the suffering on the in the country, saying “it is a misnomer for Nigerians to go hungry in the midst of plenty natural resources.”
Political observers note that the protest mirrors growing discontent nationwide, where economic reforms, fuel price adjustments, and inflationary pressures have continued to strain household incomes.
Security presence in the area was heavily reinforced to prevent escalation of the protest.