The Pan Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, on Friday, described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s policies as anti-people, saying the present administration is insensitive to the sufferings and plights of Nigerians following the sudden and harsh removal of petrol subsidy.
The group lambasted the present administration in the country for compounding the suffering of the common Nigerians through the multiplier effects of the removal of petrol subsidy, intractable fall of the Naira and surreptitious increase in school fees in Federal Government secondary and tertiary educational institutions.
Afenifere’s position was contained in a statement issued by the group and signed by its Secretary General, Chief Sola Ebiseni, who maintained that the implementation of the thoughtless policies will further plunge Nigeria’s economy down the slope.
Ebiseni lamented that the policies had improvised more people with a number of extremely poor Nigerians has continued to grow and said “It is indeed a matter of grave concern that a party and its candidate which made subsidy removal a cardinal campaign issue, did not have a plan on ground to introduce the necessary countervailing palliative to protect the people and the economy”
He called on President Tinubu to look into a way to reduce the cost of governance, while saying that no one will kick against the need to sacrifice for the country but said those in the leadership position must first lead by example in order to reduce the cost of
According to him, no one will frown over the need for sacrifices by citizens to restore the fiscal viability of the country but said sacrifice must be made by all, and in a progressive manner, saying those in positions of leadership must lead by example in order to address the inordinate cost of governance
The statement read: “Nigeria is currently caught in a labyrinth of inclement weather of a convoluted election process and its unwieldy outcomes, intractable security problems and the nightmarish aftermath of a sudden and harsh removal of petrol subsidy on the other.
“In less than six weeks, an already asphyxiating economy reeling under the crushing impact of hyperinflation, unemployment, mass hunger and poverty foisted by the gross ineptitude and incompetence that characterized the watch of eight years is looking like an episode drawn straight out of Dante’s Hell.
“Afenifere as a political group and the rallying platform for social welfarist progressive ideals inexorably committed to the greatest good of the greatest number of Nigerians cannot afford to fold its arms or be seen to maintain silence, neutrality or ambivalence in the face of this latest body blow on an already traumatized citizenry.
“Our well-informed position to tarry on comments on the governance of the federation until the final determination of the true holder of the people’s mandate through ongoing judicial processes may inadvertently be taken for abandonment of our historic role as the people’s ombudsman in the political space, acquiescence in the face of the rudderless ship of the state or mistaken to have joined the league with those befuddled by chauvinism in laundering incompetence and nepotism or celebrations of inanities”
He said “Nigeria despite being touted as the 55th largest economy in the world currently ranks 142 out of 167 on the global prosperity index with the expected total number of Nigerians plunged into the deep end of multidimensional poverty to gross 133 million before the end of 2024.
