Your policies causing ‘unprecedented’ hardship to Nigerians, ex-minister tells Tinubu

“If urgent action is not taken to stem the hunger, poverty, and discontent in the country, we risk losing the patience of the people, and that could result in dire consequences.”

Nduese Essien, a former minister of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, has called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to take urgent steps to reduce the economic hardship in Nigeria, saying that Nigerians may run out of patience if nothing is done about the situation.

Mr Essien stated this in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja.

He said Nigerians are struggling to survive and that if they eventually lose patience, this could have dire consequences.

“The level of suffering across the country is unprecedented, except perhaps during the Nigerian Civil War,” he said. “Families are struggling to meet basic needs.”

Mr Essien, a former House of Representatives member from Akwa Ibom State, said President Tinubu’s policies may be well-intentioned, but exacerbating poverty and increasing inflation are hurting the most vulnerable Nigerians.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Bola Tinubu administration’s removal of petrol subsidies and floating of the Naira have led Nigeria to its worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation, with prices of goods and services at unprecedented levels. The president has, however, repeatedly acknowledged the short-term negative impact of the policies and said they would be beneficial in the medium and long term.

In his statement, the former minister reiterated his opposition to the removal of the petrol subsidy and said Mr Tinubu was hasty in his decision.

He advised the federal government to reconsider its economic policies, re-think its approach, cut the cost of governance, fight corruption, and ensure that Nigerians are not plunged deeper into poverty.

“No amount of revenue generated into the federation or any of its units will be sufficient to run government at the present rate of corruption in Nigeria,” he said.

“It is inhuman to continue down this path without a clear plan to ease the burden on the citizens. Our leaders cannot continue to fritter the commonwealth of the country recklessly and ask the people to make sacrifices.

“If urgent action is not taken to stem the hunger, poverty, and discontent in the country, we risk losing the patience of the people, and that could result in dire consequences,” Mr Essien added.

True federalism is the answer

Mr Essien said Nigeria would be on the path to solving many of its challenges if it adopted true federalism and devolved development responsibilities to the regions.

He called on the federal government to implement the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference and added that a better federal structure would allow states and regions to better manage their resources and development.

“The regions, states, and local governments should be given more revenue since they are closest to the people,” he stated.

The former minister called for the amendment of the country’s electoral law to allow for electronic accreditation and the electronic transfer and collation of results.

He condemned the lack of fair competition in local elections, which allows the ruling parties in each state in Nigeria to win all elections each time. He expressed worry over the role of the judiciary in determining election winners.

“Nigeria may not survive another attempt at a flawed election,” Mr Essien warned while urging Nigerians to hold their leaders accountable and demand from them policies that prioritise the welfare of the people.