A former Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Nduese Essien, has called on President Bola Tinubu to reconsider some of his policies.
Essien warned of possible anarchy due to the growing wave of hunger and discontent among Nigerians, stressing that most of the government’s economic policies have only aggravated poverty and inflation, leaving millions of Nigerians struggling to survive.
In a statement he issued Wednesday in Abuja, the former federal lawmaker also criticized the hasty removal of fuel subsidy and other economic policies of the Tinubu administration, arguing that they are inflicting unprecedented suffering on the populace.
Essien urged the Federal Government to rethink its approach and strike a balance between reducing the fiscal deficit and ensuring citizens do not plunge deeper into poverty.
While emphasizing the need for fiscal discipline and cutting the cost of governance, the former Minister warned that it is inhuman to continue down this path without a clear plan to ease the burden on the citizens.
“The level of suffering across the country is unprecedented, except perhaps during the Nigerian Civil War. Families are struggling to meet basic needs. The policies, while perhaps well-intentioned, are exacerbating poverty, increasing inflation, and hurting the most vulnerable among us.
“Our leaders cannot continue to fritter the commonwealth of the country recklessly and ask the people to make sacrifices.
“If urgent action is not taken to stem the hunger, poverty, and discontent in the country, we risk losing the patience of the people, and that could result in dire consequences”, he warned.