President Bola Tinubu has been urged to reevaluate some of his policies by Nduese Essien, a former minister of lands, housing, and urban development.
Essien emphasized that the majority of the government’s economic measures have simply made poverty and inflation worse, leaving millions of Nigerians fighting to exist, and he warned of potential chaos as a result of the rising tide of hunger and dissatisfaction among Nigerians.
The former federal legislator said in a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday that the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, including the swift elimination of gasoline subsidies, are causing the people to endure unheard-of levels of misery.
Essien called on the federal government to reconsider its strategy and find a middle ground between cutting the budget deficit and preventing individuals from falling into even greater poverty.
The former Minister cautioned that it is inhumane to continue along this route without a clear plan to lessen the burden on the public, even as he emphasized the necessity for budgetary restraint and reducing the expense of governance.
“The level of suffering across the country is unprecedented, except perhaps during the Nigerian Civil War. Families are struggling to meet basic needs. The policies, while perhaps well-intentioned, are exacerbating poverty, increasing inflation, and hurting the most vulnerable among us.
“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”, he warned.
