THOUSANDS of union members marched across Nigeria today in protest against the soaring cost of living under the west African nation’s new president.

The unions, representing mainly government workers, said the economic incentives announced this week by President Bola Tinubu to ease hardship were not enough and more needs to be done to improve social welfare interventions and reduce poverty.

They have accused the president, who took office May 29, of failing to act quickly to cushion the effect of some of his policies, including the suspension of costly subsidies, that have more than doubled the price of petrol, causing a spike in prices for food and most other commodities.

Mr Tinubu scrapped the subsidy that cost the government 4.39 trillion naira (about £4.5 billion) on the day he took office, while new leadership of the country’s central bank ended the policy of multiple exchange rates for the naira, allowing the rate to be determined by market forces — both moves aimed to boost government finances and woo investors. 

But they have had an immediate impact of further squeezing millions who were already battling surging inflation, which stood at 22.7 per cent in June, and a 63 per cent rate of multidimensional poverty.

On the cost of transport, which has more than doubled, president of the union umbrella body the Nigerian Labour Congress Joe Ajaero said: “Since the subsidy removal, you can’t move from one place to another.” 

He said unions have proposed an upward review of pay, but “the federal government has refused to inaugurate the committee on the proposal.”

Protester Usman Abdullahi Shagari said he has been struggling to provide for his family, which includes five children.

“Everything has increased, so that has affected the feeding of my family and my salary cannot withstand it,” he said.