The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, convened an emergency meeting with ministers on Wednesday to address the proposed nationwide protest by Nigerian youths against economic hardship.

The meeting, held behind closed doors, included over 40 ministers from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet. Notable attendees included Nyesom Wike (FCT), Yusuf Tuggar (Foreign Affairs), Zephaniah Jisalo (Special Duties), Tahir Mamman (Education), and Abubakar Bagudu (Budget and Planning). Also present were Wale Edun (Finance), Mohammed Idris (Information), Bello Matawalle (Defence), David Umahi (Works), and the National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, among others.

On Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu appealed to Nigerians to cancel the planned ‘EndBadGovernance’ protest, which is set for next month. The protest, which has gained significant traction on social media, is scheduled to take place across all states of the Federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in August. The organisers of the protest have remained anonymous.

In recent months, the prices of food and basic commodities have skyrocketed, as Nigerians contend with one of the country’s worst inflation and economic crises. This situation has been exacerbated by the government’s twin policies of removing the petrol subsidy and unifying forex windows.