Protests against hardship and poverty, planned for today, have started in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Lagos.

The October 1 protest, called #FearlessInOctober, follows the #EndBadGovernance protests held in August, sparked by the economic struggles many Nigerians are facing.

As Nigeria marked its 64th Independence Day Anniversary, hundreds of citizens have taken to the streets of Abuja in a #protest tagged #FearlessInOctober, calling for an end to bad governance.

In Abuja, protesters gathered at Utako Market, holding signs with messages such as, “Bad Governance has killed the dreams of Nigerian youth” and “Enough is Enough” among others.

“We are buying fuel at N1,000, and you expect us not to protest? We are hungry,” one protester said.

In Lagos, hundreds of protesters gathered at Ikeja Underbridge on Tuesday morning. By 7:35 AM, there was already a strong security presence.

The protesters, holding placards, expressed frustration over worsening living conditions.

One protester, Tunde Aderibigbe, said, “Nigerians are hungry, there are no jobs, people are homeless, and healthcare is poor. It’s so bad that basic things are now seen as luxury.”

Aderibigbe and others called for better living conditions and immediate reforms.

This is coming after President Bola Tinubu’s nationwide Independence Day address, in which he assured citizens of better days ahead and promised economic reforms to ease the hardship faced by Nigerians.