Kano, Nigeria — A wave of defiance swept through the ancient city of Kano on Wednesday as scores of residents took to the streets in a powerful June 12 protest, joining fellow Nigerians across the country to demand an end to the crippling insecurity, economic hardship, and hunger under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The demonstrators—mostly youths, civil society members, and aggrieved citizens—marched through key streets in a coordinated display of civil resistance, wielding placards with searing inscriptions like “We Are Dying in Silence!”, “End the Hunger Now!”, and “Insecurity Is Not Governance!”
Chanting solidarity songs and invoking the spirit of Nigeria’s pro-democracy heroes, the protesters lambasted the Federal Government for what they described as gross mismanagement of the economy and total failure to protect lives and livelihoods.
“We didn’t vote for suffering. We voted for change, but all we got was pain,” said Auwal Musa, a youth activist who joined the march. “Prices of food are unbearable, insecurity has turned parts of Nigeria into killing fields, and yet the government remains tone-deaf.”
This year’s June 12 protest, marking Nigeria’s Democracy Day, turned into a nationwide outcry against a regime many now associate with untold hardship, inflation, and widespread discontent.
Security operatives monitored the situation but allowed the protest to proceed peacefully in Kano—contrary to crackdowns reported in other states.
Analysts say the significance of the June 12 protest cannot be overstated. “This is more than a commemoration,” said Dr. Hafsat Aliyu, a political analyst. “It’s a referendum on the Tinubu administration. Nigerians are tired, frustrated, and desperate for leadership that listens.”
With no clear end in sight to the spiraling cost of living and deepening insecurity, the voices from Kano—and from across Nigeria—send an unmistakable message: the people are watching, and they will no longer be silent.
PIONEER NEWS 