In 1986, under the rule of military president Ibrahim Babangida, Nigeria adopted a Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) designed with the support of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The programme was intended to stabilize an economy reeling from collapsing oil prices and mounting external debt.
The reforms introduced a market-determined exchange-rate system, sweeping trade liberalisation, removal of price controls, and public-sector retrenchment. These measures quickly devalued the naira and sharply raised the cost of living. For many Nigerians, SAP meant job losses, shrinking real wages, and widespread frustration. Analysts at the time recorded deep social stress alongside the macroeconomic reforms.
Rising Crime in the Cities
As hardship spread, insecurity worsened in Nigerian cities. Unemployment and economic strain were closely linked to rising armed robbery and related crimes. Though SAP was not the sole cause, the social dislocation of the late 1980s provided fertile ground for insecurity. For ordinary Nigerians, this translated into new daily routines of caution—avoiding night travel, reinforcing homes, and moving discreetly with cash.
The Case of Lawrence Anini
The SAP years coincided with the rise of Lawrence Nomanyagbon Anini, whose gang terrorised Bendel State (now Edo and Delta States) in 1986. They targeted highways, banks, and even police patrols. His reign of terror ended when he was captured in December 1986 in Benin City and executed in March 1987, events widely covered in Nigerian media. Anini’s case came to symbolize the worsening climate of urban crime during the period.
Youth, Universities, and Campus Cultism
Economic strain and cuts in student support deepened unrest on university campuses. By May and June of 1989, nationwide anti-SAP protests erupted, led by students and workers who directly challenged the programme’s harsh social costs. These protests reflected widespread anger and were met with state repression.
Meanwhile, universities also faced a rise in cult-related violence. Though campus confraternities predated SAP, the worsening economic and political environment of the 1980s gave them new prominence.
Institutional Shifts in Policing
Confronted with violent robbery, the government expanded policing powers in the early 1990s. The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was created in 1992 as a small, mobile, covert unit designed to fight armed robbery. Initially credited with some success, SARS later became notorious for torture, extortion, and extrajudicial killings. These abuses persisted for decades and culminated in the nationwide #EndSARS protests of 2020, when young Nigerians demanded accountability and an end to police brutality.
Cultural Reflections
The hardships of the SAP years also left a cultural imprint. Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s music during the 1980s and 1990s attacked corruption, mismanagement, and military repression. His art became a rallying point for dissent and resistance, linking popular culture with political struggle.
By the 1990s, Nollywood—Nigeria’s emerging film industry—also reflected the times. Many early films depicted crime, corruption, and moral breakdown, echoing the anxieties of an economy under strain and a society in transition.
Long-Term Consequences
The SAP years revealed how macroeconomic choices could reshape everyday life. Families learned to live cautiously, universities became centres of protest and unrest, and policing grew more militarised. While researchers caution against blaming SAP alone for Nigeria’s later challenges, many Nigerians see the roots of today’s organised crime, campus cultism, and police brutality in the social strains intensified during and after the adjustment era.
Author’s Note
This article traces how Nigeria’s adoption of the Structural Adjustment Programme in 1986 reshaped the nation far beyond its economy. What began as an attempt to stabilize the naira and balance public finances quickly spilled into daily life, fueling unemployment, student unrest, and rising crime. The story of Lawrence Anini, the creation of SARS, the lyrics of Fela Kuti, and the birth of Nollywood all form part of this complex legacy. By looking at both the policy decisions and their cultural echoes, we see how the SAP years remain a defining chapter in Nigeria’s modern history, one whose consequences still reverberate in today’s struggles with inequality, policing, and social justice.
References
- International Monetary Fund (IMF). (1987). Nigeria: Structural Adjustment with a Human Face? Finance & Development, Vol. 24(3). Washington, D.C.: IMF.
- Amnesty International. (2020, June 26). Nigeria: Time to End Impunity – Torture and Other Violations by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). London: Amnesty International.
