The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Owo in Ondo State, Revd Stephen Fagbemi has urged President Bola Tinubu to intensify efforts to address the economic and security challenges that are plaguing Nigerians. ..Read Full Article
According to Fagbemi, he lamented the economic challenges that have led to millions of Nigerians below the poverty line.
He made this known when delivering his sermon at the 14th Synod of the Church held at St Stephen’s Church, Ipele in Owo local government area of the state. He stressed that the hardships facing Nigerians are real and painful.
Fagbemi said: “Unless urgent and effective steps are taken to curtail the effects of the current economic situation in the country, Nigeria may witness an uncontrollable rise in crime.
“Nigeria has become a harder place to live in as evident in the fact that many people are leaving the country for greener pastures while many are finding themselves in difficult situations where they fled to.
“Nigeria and its people have encountered acute economic hardship within the past year owing to the sudden removal of petroleum subsidy and due to devaluation and instability of the foreign exchange.
“The resultant effects of these actions are the harsh economic reality that Nigerians are facing daily. Inflation is almost out of control and prices of goods and commodities have risen astronomically.
“It has become hard for people to feed their families. Perhaps only very few wealthy individuals can claim to be comfortable at the moment.
“We urge our government to work harder at diversifying our economy. Already it is evident that unemployment is very high, as so many graduates are walking about without any job or means of livelihood. This makes the future look bleak and hopeless for many.”
He noted that despite the economic quagmire, Nigeria has continued to borrow while “the political class is not undergoing any serious economic adjustment as their monthly take-home which is humongous is a shameless inconsideration of the plight of their electorate.”
His plea to Tinubu comes as the youth draw inspiration from Kenya as they prepare for a planned nationwide strike scheduled from August 1 to 10.
The protest plans which are in their final stages have thrown the Tinubu-led administration into panic mode.
This will be the first protest since President Bola Tinubu took over the presidency in May 2023. Since he was sworn in, his presidency has been plagued with various controversies, while there is widespread hunger and insecurity. According to the latest statistics, food inflation remains at 40% while general inflation stands at 34.19%.
According to the Daily Post, the protest is scheduled to take place in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. The online portal claims that the organizers, particularly from the northern region, remain anonymous.
The popular faces who have backed the protest are The 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) Omoyele Sowore, legendary Nigerian artiste, Charles Oputa popularly known as Charly Boy and Popular social media activist, Martins Vincent Otse, better known as Verydarkman.
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