VIDEO: Residents protest high cost of living in Minna

Residents of Minna, the Niger State capital, on Monday, trooped to the streets to protest the high cost of living in the country, blocking major roads within the metropolis.

The protesters including women and youths were heard chanting protest songs, while security agents including policemen looked on.

The protesters said the rising cost of food items and poor government efforts to arrest the situation forced them to block major roads so that the government would hear their cry.

The Deputy Governor of Niger State, Yakubu Garba, while addressing the protesters, said the government is aware of the pain and hardship families are faced with at this time.

He said the government is working towards reducing the cost of living and the consequences of the petrol subsidy removal.

Meanwhile, the Presidency and ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on Sunday, traded words over the state of the Nigerian economy and the monetary policies of President Bola Tinubu.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Atiku, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said there is hunger in the land as basic commodities, including bread, are becoming out of reach for average Nigerians.

However, in a swift response, the Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Atiku has embarked on a mission as a poor opposition-in-chief, noting that the reforms the Tinubu government will cause immediate pains but will usher in an era of prosperity in the medium and long terms.