Rising Cost of living: Nigerians going to bed on empty stomachs, don’t politicise hardship – PDP Tells FG
….Seek help on cost of living crisis – Labour Party tells FG
…Opposition Should Point Out Silver Bullet To Nigeria’s Problems – APC
…Presidential food committee meets over rising cost of living
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the All Progressives Congress (APC) is politicising the protest by Nigerians against the current economic hardship and worsening insecurity in the country.
On Monday, some residents of Minna, Niger state capital, blocked major roads in the city to protest the rising cost of living in the country.
There were also protests in Kano state and other parts of the country over the economic hardship being experienced by Nigerians.
While commenting on the protests, the APC claimed that opposition parties were instigating the protests to undermine the Bola Tinubu administration.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Debo Ologunagba, PDP spokesperson, said the APC cannot threaten Nigerians from exercising their democratic and constitutional right to protest against the “agonising poverty, hunger, killings and other harrowing experiences”.
The opposition party said the APC’s remark on the protests by Nigerians is “insensitive and relishes the life-discounting situation in the country”.
The PDP said the poverty rate in the country is rising noting that many Nigerians go to bed hungry.
“This approach by the APC, instead of listening to the people, is not only offensive but akin to pushing Nigerians to the wall and daring them to do their worst,” the statement reads.
“It is an assault on the sensibility of the people that rather than providing answers to how the Tinubu-led APC government in a space of nine months, turned the nation’s economy upside down leading to terrifying food scarcity and catastrophic high cost of living, the APC is seeking to label and clamp down on the suffering masses.”
The PDP alleged that more than 104 million citizens have “sunk deeper” into poverty due to policies of the government.
“Nigerians can no longer afford their daily meals with families now going to bed on empty stomachs as poverty rate soars to over 46%,” the party said.
“Any government that has an idea of macro-economic policy management ought to have recognized that the suffocating policies of abrupt increase in the pump price of petroleum products, high cost of electricity and arbitrary floating of the naira as executed by the Tinubu administration without due considerations, would have excruciating consequences to the economy as being witnessed today.
“Today, Nigerians are resorting to suicide while thousands of our promising youths are leaving the country in droves.”
The PDP also criticised Tinubu over the rising kidnappings across the country, saying he has failed to “show seriousness” on issues of security or empathy to victims “either by words or action”.
Seek help on cost of living crisis – Labour Party tackles Tinubu
The Labour Party (LP) has asked President Bola Tinubu to seek help in addressing the high cost of living in the country before the situation becomes unimaginable.
The LP said the federal government needs to take action to reduce the hardship being faced by Nigerians.
The LP national publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh, made this call in a statement on Monday.
Ifoh said, “It is deeply concerned about the increasing cost of living in Nigeria and how millions of Nigerians are battling with the crisis of food shortage since the turn of the year”.
“It is either that the government is bereft of ideas on how to check this unfolding catastrophe or that it chose to continue to act as if it is still campaigning for office. This is no time for politics.
“Our presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi has said it time and again that until we get the leadership question right, we will continue to grapple in the dark.
“He has always said we need to move away from a consumption dependent economy to a productive one in order to shore up our foreign exchange reserves and ultimately strengthen the Naira for the economic boom we desire.
“Mr. President and his team should just admit they’ve run out of ideas, they should ask for help because it is now apparent that no amount of propaganda can change the fact that more and more Nigerians are falling below the poverty line.
“Local and foreign companies are folding up and government appears at a loss as to what next to do other than ask us all to pray.
“The Federal Government needs to take action to reduce the hardship being faced by the poor Nigerians, and seek help because things are becoming unbearable for average Nigerians.
“This must be done immediately to stem the rising tide of discontentment.”
Opposition Should Point Out Silver Bullet To Nigeria’s Problems, Says APC
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) wants the opposition to go beyond criticisms and partner with the government by offering solutions to the country’s bitting challenges.
Since President Bola Tinubu’s government took over the reins in May, the cost of living has soared in the country with inflation hitting new highs. A slew of reforms including the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira – Nigeria’s currency – appeared to have worsened the situation, triggering protests in some cities.
While the opposition – led by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) have lampooned the government over the hardships in the country, APC spokesman Felix Morka wants them to do more.
Opposition Should Point Out Silver Bullets To Nigeria’s Problems, Says APC Spokesman Felix Morka #CTVTweets#PoliticsToday pic.twitter.com/SfAfeOc5aH
“One of the concerns we have is that opposition is not about condemning,” Morka said on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today, arguing that the PDP and LP also campaigned to undertake some of the reforms the Tinubu government is undertaking.
“So, it is not enough to just condemn. These leaders should be able to – assuming they have that silver bullet that they say the government is not deploying – point it out,” the APC chieftain added.
Morka who said the government is aware of the challenges facing Nigerians, called for patience as the administration is new.
“This government is not one year. We are a few months,” he maintained. “Look at the inputs under this government. The bold steps they have taken to tackle these fundamental problems.”
According to him, the difficulties are temporary routes to getting the country working.
‘Much Better Place’
Worried over the rising cost of living and harsh economic climate in Nigeria, the House of Representatives had summoned the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor Yemi Cardoso, the Minister of Budget and National Planning Atiku Bagudu, and the Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun.
During the meeting, Edun was confident that the country’s economy was on a recovery path.
“Where we are as a nation economically is a much better place than we were on the 29th of May, 2023. We have heard from the governor of the CBN. He has talked about the importance of sustainability,” he said in Abuja.
“Before the implementation of the 8-point agenda of the President began, we were in an unsustainable place in terms of the fiscal situation of Nigeria. We were on the road to economic disaster.”
Presidential food committee meets over rising cost of living
Meanwhile, the presidential committee on emergency food intervention is currently meeting at the presidential villa, Abuja over the rising cost of living in the country.
The committee is convened by Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff (CoS), to President Bola Tinubu.
Salient Times understands that Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser (NSA); Yemi Cardoso, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); Tahir Mamman, minister of education; Wale Edun; minister of finance and Abubakar Kyari, minister of agriculture, as well as Mustapha Shehuri, minister of state for agriculture, are in attendance.
Since the removal of the subsidy on petrol by President Bola Tinubu on May 29, 2023, there has been a steady increase in the prices of basic items and staples.
Nigeria’s inflation rate rose to 28.9 percent in December 2023 — up from 28.20 percent in the previous month.
