Alarming Hunger and Poverty in Nigeria

The corona virus pandemic (COVID-19), has greeted the world with attendant loss of lives and crippled many economies, which experts say may take a little longer than expected to be revamped.

Great nations of the world including the United States of America, China, Russia, Germany and others have had their fair share of the losses. Their economies are still struggling to come back and stand on their feet, while the respective governments have at different times come up with several palliative programmes to help cushion the harsh effects of the economic meltdown, impacting adversely on citizens.

The palliatives, according to reports – many include but not limited to food packages – and other essentials and requires the timely reduction in the pump price of petroleum products especially petroleum motor spirit (PMS).

It is therefore considered inconsiderate and insensitive that when other countries especially the West and elsewhere contemplated and implemented substantial reduction in their oil pump prices, Nigeria’s APC government under the President Muhammadu Buhari only thought it wise to drop the oil pump price in the country from N145.00 to N123.00.

This reduction was operated only for a few months, as Nigerians were very surprised by the government when instead of consideration a further reduction from the N123.00 as expected, the APC government announced yet another astronomical hike to N150.00 per liter.

This unfortunate development did not go down well with Nigerians who now generally believe that their government is insensitive to their plight. And understandably, this resulted in the circulation all over the social media of the photograph of President Muhammadu Buhari leading a ‘revolution’ against the government of then President Goodluck Jonathan, over the increase in petroleum pump price from N65 to N87 in 2011. PMB’s placard in 2011 read: “N65 a liter or Revolution Now?”

Expectedly, Nigerians seem to have had enough even as the incessant hikes in oil pump price and other consequences of the COVID-19 on the economy have unceremoniously further pushed the prices of food items far beyond the reach of the poor. Nigerians now buy 50kg of imported rice at N30, 000; same quantity of local rice N25, 000; 25 liters of vegetable oil at nearly N20, 000; 50kg of sugar at N22,000 and so on.

Truth be told, the economic, financial and even social realities are simply unbearable as Nigerians continue to live with increasing and excruciating poverty and penury. The government relief and palliative programme at both federal and state levels leaves much to be desired. All there is to it are stories of how much was spent in billions of naira, while the said beneficiaries can hardly be identified in the society. Recently the federal government announced that it has spent billions of naira on the feeding of school children alone during the COVID-19 lockdown.

It is pertinent at this point to stress the need for the government at all levels to be more proactive and more sensitive to the plight of Nigerians. It must be seen to be less nepotic and more selfless in the distribution of its palliatives and deciding who gets what in the process.

Nigerians are becoming impatient even as the only utterance of President Buhari is to implore poverty stricken Nigerians to be more patient. But now is the time for the government to brace-up and do the needful. Protests against the government have begun and they will continue till God knows when. A stitch in time saves nine!