- Says Tinubu economy reforms exacerbating hardship
From Sola Ojo, Abuja
The National Secretary of the Labour Party, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, has sounded the alarm on Nigeria’s escalating hunger crisis, citing a poverty rate of 40.7% and a staggering 87 million Nigerians living below the poverty line.
This comes on the heels of a string of devastating stampedes that claimed the lives of 65 Nigerians in Oyo, Anambra States, and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, all of which occurred during food distributions.
Ibrahim attributed these tragedies to the crippling poverty and hunger plaguing the country, with millions resorting to desperate measures to survive, including scooping fuel the Federal Capital Territory accident scenes.
The Labour Party scribe, therefore, urged the All Progressives Congress-led national government to reassess its priorities and redirect its policies towards food production, citing the vast underutilization of Nigeria’s land resources and the need to revitalize the aquatic economy.
According to him, the World Bank estimates that Nigeria’s poverty rate has surged from 38.9% in 2023 to 40.7% currently, earning the country the dubious distinction of having the second-largest poor population globally, after India.
“With over 2 million Nigerians reportedly kidnapped in the last year and a cumulative $1.42 billion paid to kidnappers, the economic reforms of the Tinubu administration have only exacerbated the hardship.
“As reported, about 40 children, died during a stampede at a carnival in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, 20 residents of Okija community in Anambra State lost their lives in a similar stampede.
“On the same day, more than 10 people died following a stampede in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
“All these unfortunate incidents occurred in Catholic churches in the FCT while distributing food items to vulnerable persons.
“The Okija, Anambra state incident happened during a palliative distribution by a notable philanthropist. So also, the Ibadan, Oyo state was at an event funded by a popular royalty. The bottom line is that there is hunger in the land.
“One major reason some people resort to crime is hunger. Nigerians in millions have been subjected to hunger arising from other reasons such as rising inflation and poor economic management.
“The economic reforms of the Tinubu administration have caused untold hardship to Nigerians. Hunger is turning into an epidemic and not many people can survive this situation”, he warned.
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