Governors under scrutiny as economic hardship, hunger worsens.
Concerns arise over the apparent lack of efforts by state governors to alleviate citizens’ suffering, despite substantial revenue increases post-fuel subsidy removal. Nigerians grapple with heightened economic hardship amid worsening inflation and ongoing depreciation of the Naira. Additionally, the nation contends with persistent security challenges, marked by frequent armed attacks across different regions.
According to NAIJAEYES, the cost of goods and services continues to rise daily, surpassing the affordability of the poor.
The economic situation worsened after President Bola Tinubu announced the removal of oil subsidies on May 29, 2023.
Protests against the economic hardship have erupted in various states, including Niger, Kano, Kogi, Ondo, Oyo, and others.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN)
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and Northern traditional rulers, along with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), have criticized the government for its failure to address growing insecurity and economic challenges, despite significant budgetary allocations and security votes.
This is in addition to Northern traditional rulers and the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, decrying the hardship in the country precipitated by the removal of fuel subsidies, resulting in higher transport costs and food inflation. However, while not absolving the federal government from the current economic crisis, many Nigerians have begun to question what the state governors are doing to alleviate the sufferings of the citizens in their various domains. NAIJAEYS reported that the Federal Government, on Tuesday last week, tackled the governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, saying they owed Nigerians an explanation on whether or not they spent increased allocations on their people. The federal government’s reaction comes on the heels of a statement by the PDP governors calling on the APC-led federal government to rise to the occasion and address the worsening economic hardship in the country before it got out of hand. The PDP governors had said the current hardship being experienced by Nigerians was occasioned by the nation’s economic and security challenges, blaming Tinubu’s administration for the crisis.
