By Amah
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A civil society group has advised President Bola Tinubu to urgently declare a state of emergency on basic health and agricultural sectors as the only way to pacify aggrieved Nigerians and end the ongoing nationwide hunger protests.
Kunle Yusuff, the Director General of the group, the Civil Society Organisation on Community Advancement and Humanitarian Empowerment Initiative, CSCHEI, in a statement in Abuja said the current situation in Nigeria requires the Federal Government double up on activities to relieve Nigerians of the current hardship to enjoy the dividends of democracy.
The statement read in part: “Once food is affordable for Nigerians to feed their families and they have access to basic health care, the social apathy will decline drastically,” the statement said.
“We would like the President to review housing and retirement policies. When you are sure that at your retirement age, you can have an affordable house to accommodate your family and a functional pension scheme is in place, certainly this will further drag financial corruption to the barest minimum.
“Government should provide electricity and reaffirm hope for self-employed Nigerians. Electricity, Fuel, and Diesel are the immediate commodities that bind Nigerian masses together. Once there is energy sufficiency at reasonable rates for artisans to deploy their skills into productive activities, there will be drastic reduction in pressure on social faultiness.”
He charged the president’s media sides to be more active in engaging and communicating activities of the government to the people, adding that Nigerians should also jettison protests and opt for negotiations instead.
“The communications desk and community engagements unit in Mr President’s office should upscale performance on their duties and adopt work synergy among MDAs, and the appointees, to avoid administrative arrogance and conflict that may hinder the acceleration of eight point Agenda of this administration.”
“It’s on this note that CSCHEI appeal to leadership of CSOs, CBOs, NGOs, youths, students and all other critical stakeholders to embrace negotiations and give the government more chance for most of their intervention to mature,” Yusuff added.
“It is imperative that the government escalate actions with appropriate quantum of intervention in order to diffuse the social faultiness to avoid aggravating the masses into further agitation which always has a propensity to lead to social anarchy.
“We also want to use this opportunity to appeal to the State Governors and Local Government Council Authorities to always give accurate information for the masses to know the interventions coming from the Federal Government. At this point in time appropriate dissemination of information is necessary.”
