A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to urgently declare a state of emergency on hunger and starvation ravaging the country to save the masses and provide them with a decent living.
Oyintiloye, addressing journalists on Sunday in Osogbo, said that Nigerians were hungry and living below the poverty line.
He said that due to the prevailing harsh economy in the country, many households were finding it difficult to have three square meals.
“I want to urge the president to, as a matter of urgency, declare a state of emergency on hunger, starvation, and poverty in the country.
“Hunger is a threat to national peace, and that is why the president must act very fast,” he said.
Oyintiloye also said there is a need for the government to implement a price control mechanism to checkmate the sharp practices by traders in the market.
Oyintiloye urged the president not to ignore the United Nations’ prediction that 82 million Nigerians, about 64 percent of the country’s population, may go hungry by 2030.
He further said that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data revealed that the food inflation rate in the country hit a record high of 40.66 percent in May, surpassing April’s 40.53 percent increase.
While noting that common household food items were getting out of the reach of the common man due to the hike in prices, he added that despite the fact that Nigerians were working hard under different dehumanizing conditions, what they were earning was still not enough to sustain them and their families due to inflation.
“Despite the abundance of natural and human resources the country is blessed with, successive governments have failed to drive the economy productively.
“Corruption and overdependence on the system of sharing crude oil revenue by the tiers of government hinder them from running a productive and self-sufficient economy for the benefit of the masses.
“There is no doubt that the president is doing everything possible to salvage the situation through various intervention programs; however, the impacts of such interventions are far from ameliorating the situation.
“Prices of basic household food items such as rice, beans, garri, spaghetti, and others are on the high side and becoming unaffordable for the masses.”
Oyintiloye noted that it was rather unfortunate that with all the efforts of the president, prices of food and other essentials had continued to increase.
He said many traders were taking undue advantage of the economy to exploit buyers, adding that there is an urgent need to check their excesses.
Oyintiloye urged the president to consider reopening the Benin Republic border for the importation of food to solve the problem of the food crisis in the country.
He also said that the issue of inadequate farm inputs and insecurity must be addressed for farmers to cultivate their various farmlands, while good incentives should be made available to agriculture to attract the younger ones.
Oyintiloye also appealed to Nigerians to continue to support the president, adding that with all the various ongoing economic intervention programs, the country would rise again.
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