AMID festering planned protest by youths against the unrelenting biting hunger and pervasive economic hardship, the members of the House of Representatives recently passed a resolution to donate 50 per cent of their salaries in the next six months to the provision of palliatives for the people and to forestall the looming crisis.

ALTHOUGH the nation has been undergoing economic hardship for years, it assumed a sky-rocketing and unabated mode recently as a result of the strategic missteps of the present government, especially the withdrawal of the fuel subsidy without  viable alternatives on assumption of office, which necessitated free fall exchange rate of the Naira,  high food prices and other commodities, biting hunger and excruciating hardship. The biting hunger and food scarcity are further exacerbated by the prevailing security situation in the country, which has driven the farmers from the farms.

ALTHOUGH  the Federal Government has introduced many measures to address the crushing economic crisis, including provision of palliatives for the people, making money available to the state governors to do the same in their respective states and emplacing micro and macro-economic measures to tame the hardship, these interventions are grossly inadequate to curb the extant economic realities and policy missteps thus making life unbearable for the people.

BESIDES, the insensitive disposition and opulent lifestyle of elected leaders at the expense of people’s welfare are sources of public angst. In the face of crushing hunger and abject poverty, 109 exotic vehicles were purchased for the Senators, 360 were bought for the House of Representatives members, the sum of N300 million was spent to renovate the Vice President’s Quarters and Presidential yacht was recently procured, among other extravagant spendings.      

CONSEQUENTLY, there are reports the youth are planning decentralised social movement to protest the excruciating hardship and hunger. The nation cannot afford another youths protest four years after the monumental fatalities and stupendous economic losses that attended the #EndSARS protest.With benefit of hindsight, hardship-induced country-wide protests, especially as witnessed during the introduction of the ill-fated Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP),  in 1989 and the #EndSARSdecentralised social movement to protest police brutality in 2021, come with an ill wind and leave in their trails, fatalities, huge economic losses and battered government image.

UNLIKE the hard stance of government towards the 1989 and 2021 public demands which necessitated protests, the present government has been making efforts to address the situation and avert crisis, but the unrelenting micro and macro-economic frailties and uncertainties would not abate, thus causing commodities to be scarce and their prices to hit the roof by the day since June last year.

IT is in the midst of these worsening hardships, national anxiety and unimpressive solutions to the sombre economic climate that the members of the House of Representatives have resolved to tread the abandoned road long clamoured by the public for an enduring solution to the nation’s perennial welfare imbalance and needless economic crisis. 

TRUTH be told, cutting the salaries of political leaders by 50 per cent is a drop in the ocean and a temporary solution to an age-old problem. However, the House of Representatives’ resolution provides a window for addressing the social disequilibrium that tilts the elected political office holders against the people –their employers and the original owners of democracy.

THE  Representatives have lit a match. They must fan the fire further by making a 50 per cent salary cut statutory. Their counterparts in the Senate must follow suit. The state assemblies and other political office holders across the country must also follow in their footsteps by engaging in salary cuts for the fire to cook a meal that will not only be sufficient but will be seen to be enough for the people. Additionally, government at all levels must urgently cut excesses and block leakages to make sufficient funds available for governance in tandem with expert’s belief that this initiative alone will solve the nation’s economic crises substantially. The political leaders must also put up a lifestyle that is in tandem with the mood of the nation by maintaining a conservative lifestyle.  

AN urgent decisive step in this regard is the full implementation of the Oransanye Report, which recommends cutting the size and slashing the cost of governance.

Given the spiral and stifling effects of the cost of petroleum products on commodities and the economy generally, stringent efforts must be made to address the sky-rocketing cost of petroleum products. Efforts must also be made to radically strengthen the naira and address other economic other indices. The people must compel the state governors who have yet to put the money the Federal Government gave them to provide palliatives to dedicated use.

FOR  a fact, one major cause of hunger leading to unrest in the land is the menace of murderous herders who had forced farmers out fo their farms due to the  fear of being killed. We therefore call on the government to address the problem of farmers/herders clashes so that farmers can return to farm for food security.

DELIVERING the nation from hunger and economic crisis will require holistic, far-reaching, workable and enduring solutions powered by a strong political will by the tiers of government. No effort must be spared to stop the ticking clock of the planned youth protest.