By Emma Okereh
Barely 24 hours to the commencement of the scheduled August 1 protest in Nigeria, the United Towns Agency(UTA) Nigeria, a United Nations affiliated non-governmental organization, has called for dialogue between the federal government and organisers of the protest.
While addressing the media in Abuja, the nation’s capital on the impending protest called to ensure good governance and to protest against hardship and hunger ravaging the citizens, president of UTA Nigeria, Princes Abigail Amalaha sued for dialogue that can guarantee timelines for the federal government to meet up with the demands of the protesters.
Amalaha noted that while the government of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu is doing everything to address the issues of hardship and hunger in the land, she advised that government should go beyond distribution of handouts in the name of palliatives.
UTA Nigeria advised that government should put in place mechanisms that can meaningfully engage Nigerian youths and the unemployed as well as providing enabling environment for private businesses to thrive.
She further tasked the federal government on ensuring that cost of transport, cost of living, availability and reasonable cost of petroleum products are available just as she tasked Nigerians to appreciate government response to their needs as well as trust the government and give it time with specifics to address the concerns.
The UTA Nigeria president noted that,
“There is an urgent need to put in place wholesome programs and policies that would address food insecurity, security challenges, agitations, and growing disenchantment of Nigerians with the government.
“On the planned nationwide protest; to avoid spill over of violence on the anticipated peaceful protest, we recommend the option of dialogue between the organisers and the federal government. Through dialogue, time frame can be reached for the impact of the measures so far put in place by the government to be felt.
“We want to make some suggestions, which we believe, if considered and implemented, would go a long way in helping Nigeria experience quick socio-economic recovery.
“As a matter of urgency, the federal government needs to establish programs that would make the teeming youths of the country actively engaged, like consciously revamping and resuscitating industries, which will lead to massive job creation. The government should also widen the scope of support for small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) so that more youth would benefit and start small businesses. The government should support individuals and organisations that have youth empowerment programs.
The statement in part reads:
“I want to first and foremost thank you all for your continued support of the United Towns Agency, right from when we got the mandate in 2022 for the Nigerian chapter until now. In the last two years that the UTA Nigeria has been in place, we have been contributing our quota to help our country attain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to reap the benefits therein. We solicit your continued support in the years ahead.
“We are happy to say that we had brought the plights of Nigerians in IDP camps to international attention with presentations at UN fora in Geneva and have engaged in advocacy on peace building, unity, and equality across the country.
“As the country president of UTA Nigeria and a bona fide citizen of Nigeria, I feel obliged today to speak on the current state of our nation in line with my mandate.
“We have noted the hardship being experienced by Nigerians, arising from economic challenges the country is facing. We have noted the rising cost of food, transportation, medicine, healthcare services, housing, and living generally, exacerbated by the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy and the volatility of the foreign exchange regime.
“We have noted the exodus of Nigerian professionals and the workforce in search of greener pastures abroad. We have noted insecurity across the country, as kidnapping, banditry, insurgency, and sundry crimes are on the rise. We have noted restiveness among the youths, who are the most hit by the ugly situation in the country. We are worried about these.
“As patriotic Nigerians, it is incumbent on us to call on the federal and state governments to take measures in addressing these issues. While we acknowledge that the federal government is trying to find a lasting and workable solution to the present economic quagmire in the country, we must say that this should go beyond the provision of palliatives.
As a matter of urgency, the federal government needs to establish programs that would make the teeming youths of the country actively engaged, like consciously revamping and resuscitating industries, which will lead to massive job creation. The government should also widen the scope of support for small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) so that more youth would benefit and start small businesses. The government should support individuals and organisations that have youth empowerment programs.
To guarantee food security and arrest the rising cost of food items, the government should sustain efforts in boosting agriculture.
The effort can be intensified by making the Bank of Agriculture more active and responsive to farmers’ and agricultural firms’ needs. The Bank of Agriculture should increase agricultural credit finances and offer to farmers in accordance with its mandate. Also, the government should ensure that fertilizer and agricultural implements are available at subsidised prices as well as train farmers on off-season farming as well as provide facilities to ensure all-year-round farming.
Part of efforts to boost agriculture and promote economic growth is for the government to address security issues in the country. It is therefore imperative that the government does everything within its powers to arrest insecurity so that Nigerians would have the confidence to go about their businesses. Security breeds economic growth.
There is a need for cut down on the cost of governance. At a time of economic challenges, government’s size should be shrinking rather than burgeoning. The federal government should be thinking of merging ministries instead of increasing them. The government should also find a way of cutting the allowances and perks of office of government officials. The recent offer by members of the House of Representatives to earn half salary for six months, as part of their sacrifice, in an effort to reducing cost of governance, is a step in the right direction. The executive, both at federal and state levels, should do likewise.
Since education is the bedrock for development, the government, as a matter of urgency, should look into the issue of out-of-school children, enforce tuition-free policy as well as update and upgrade the facilities in all government educational institutions across the country. The government should also integrate entrepreneurial and vocational training in the curriculum of both secondary and tertiary institutions across the country. The issue of child right in line with the United Nations charter and that of Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations should also be prioritized by the government.
Though the government has introduced various palliative measures through the distribution of grains and various food items across the country, this should just be a stop-gap measure. The government should evolve a more permanent measure to solve the problem of hunger in the land.
While we applaud government for the current increase of the minimum wage of civil servants from N30,000 monthly to N70,000, we hope that there will be sincerity and diligence in implementation and that workers would be paid as at when due.” She concludes.
