Amid economic hardships fueling public anger against President Bola Tinubu’s government, Vice President Kashim Shettima accused Nigerians in the diaspora of being the brains behind planned August nationwide protests, calling them idiots.

Speaking at a wedding ceremony in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Saturday, Mr Shettima labelled the organisers of the August protest as bandits and idiots in the diaspora plotting to foment trouble.

“The only way we can show solidarity with the governor is for our people to shy away from dancing to the tune of the bandits and idiots who are fomenting mischief from the comfort of Australia, Finland, and the United States—all the so-called social media influencers,” Mr Shettima said.

He added, “They are not in this country; we need to learn a lot of lessons from what happened in Syria and in Libya. So, what they are agitating for is a road to Khartoum, what they are agitating for is a road to Damascus, what they are clamouring for is a path to Tripoli, and, Insha Allah, the people of Nigeria will not dance to the tune of these anarchists and saboteurs.”

Mr Shettima’s vitriol against protesters comes in the wake of Mr Tinubu’s government’s frantic pushback against planned protests over the cost of living crisis under his watch.

Contrary to Mr Shettima’s claim that Nigerians in the diaspora are organising the protests to cause anarchy in the country, economic hardships worsened by the spiking cost of living under Mr Tinubu’s watch are fueling public anger against the government.

Though the International Monetary Fund has lauded Mr Tinubu’s economic policies, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira, prevailing economic hardships have elicited nationwide rage against the government as Nigerians prepare for a massive nationwide protest scheduled for August 1-10.

In an editorial piece on July 17, the Financial Times said Mr Tinubu’s “disjointed” economic policies are pushing “tens of millions” into misery and would not end Nigerians’ hardships.

Since the protest was announced, Mr Tinubu has rallied clerics, religious associations and traditional rulers to dissuade Nigerians from protesting over the high cost of living that has seen food prices shoot through the roof nationwide.