The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, might have to tell Nigerians if he has verified his comments suggesting that protests against the high cost of living in the country are indeed sponsored.
Development Diaries reports that the senate president said there were a lot of sponsored protests, but that the protesters were not aware of efforts being made to tackle the rising cost of food in the country.
There has been widespread hunger in the land due to inflation, which climbed to 29.90 percent in January 2024, up from 28.92 percent the previous month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
People in different parts of the country can no longer afford food staples due to the high cost of living.
Is our senate president even aware that the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced a plan to stop buying food in Nigeria until prices become stable?
At this point, the poor cannot even ‘breathe’ anymore. It has even got to the point where people now collapse on the road due to exhaustion from hunger.
Man is offered some food after he reportedly collapsed due to exhaustion from acute hunger
pic.twitter.com/eYyJoJuKwg— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) February 20, 2024
Economic Hardship: Pregnant woman, one other reportedly coll@pse due to h¥nger
— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) February 21, 2024
Rather than appearing to politicise the situation, we expect the senate president to be seen actively engaging with the protesters, listening to their grievances, and working collaboratively to urgently address the issue.
Also, instead of the senate president desperately trying to defend the executive arm of government, we expect to see lawmakers advocating policies aimed at alleviating poverty and initiatives to promote agricultural development and food security.
Furthermore, we expect to see the senate president demonstrate transparency and accountability by ensuring that government resources are effectively allocated to provide immediate relief to those most affected by hunger.
We expect more from our lawmakers, both at the national and state levels, in demonstrating a commitment to serving the public good and not exhibiting a lack of empathy.
Development Diaries calls on the Akpabio-led National Assembly to effectively play its constitutional role at all times in the interest of the Nigerian people they represent.
Photo source: BBC
