As Protests Rock Minna Over Cost Of Living, Labour Party Asks Tinubu To Seek Help, Says Conditions Unmanageable

The opposition Labour Party has asked President Bola Tinubu to seek assistance in resolving the country’s economic situation.
According to a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiorah Ifoh, the party is “deeply concerned about the rising cost of living in Nigeria and how millions of Nigerians have been dealing with the crisis of food shortage since the turn of the year.”

The statement came after residents of Minna, Niger State’s capital, blocked roads in protest of the city’s high cost of living.

The LP reported that “women and young people among the demonstrators were heard chanting protest songs while accusing the government of insensibility and inadequate responses.

“It stated that “As of today, essential commodities such as rice, garri, flour, garlic, and protein have seen an exponential increase in prices since January.”

“For example, a carton of Indomie noodles now costs N10,000, while a 50kg bag of sugar costs N73,000, up from N62,000 in early January.

“A bag of cement now sells for N7000 instead of N5500, a bag of rice for more than N70,000, and a kg of meat for N4000, among other things.

“We are aware that the organised labour union and the government have been in a long-running discussion about a potential salary increase for civil servants.

“There is a sense of despondency throughout the country. The immediate consequences of this situation include increased crime, particularly among young people desperate to stay alive, as well as an increase in suicide rates.

“It has become a common sight for people to jump into the Lagoon, hang themselves, or consume lethal substances.

“Either the government is out of ideas for how to stop this unfolding disaster, or it has chosen to continue to act as if it is still campaigning for office. “This is not the time for politics.”

It also recalled how Nigerians were told that by eliminating fuel subsidies, the economy would improve.

“In addition to the foreign exchange crisis, in which the dollar is now selling above N1500 and the naira continues to fall unabated, it has become clear that this sad situation will never be resolved by this government, which is cause for concern.

“We have always stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s hasty announcement of the removal by fiat while basking in the euphoria of his swearing-in was not preceded by the rigours of consultation and planning.

“We knew this would get us into financial trouble. Our leader, Mr. Peter Obi, and our party issued a cautionary statement, but we were called names.

“You cannot run a government based on whims. The economic turmoil we are suffering today is a result of this poor sense of judgment.

“Sadly, amidst all of these, the All Progressives Congress administration has increased its spending on the lavish lifestyles of its elected officials, and corruption among government officials has never been worse.

“Our Presidential Candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi has said 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 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 the government appears at a loss as to what next to do other than ask us all to pray.

“We are also calling on President Tinubu to prevail on some of his aides at this auspicious moment from making inflammatory, incendiary, careless, and unreasonable comments which are capable of offending the sensibility of average Nigerians.

“For any Nigeria to begin to compare this country with some other countries and go as much as pontificating that Nigerians are living in paradise is mischievously opprobrious and insulting to the millions who go to bed every night without food.

“As a matter of urgency, we think that the Tinubu-led government should stop spending billions on some useless consultancy for some social welfare services which most often end up in private pockets.

“We are about to enter into the farming season, we should borrow a leaf from the consumption-to-production policy of the Labour Party and ensure that farmers are mobilized early enough through various incentives to return to the farms.

“Fresh University graduates should be encouraged to go into farming and ensure that their produce is mopped up and properly rewarded. Our farms must also be protected from criminal herders and rustlers.

“We do not need to import several food items that can be grown locally.

“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. Let us pray very hard that the Niger State incident does not trigger chains of other protests because it is biting hard across the nation.”