Here is a roundup of some Nigerian newspaper headlines, accompanied by our advocacy-driven demands for government action in addressing citizens’ concerns.
1. Punch: Federal Government unveils Agric Reforms, Moves to Create 21 Million Jobs
We begin with the Punch, which reports the federal government’s announcement of new incentives to attract agricultural investment targeting the creation of 21 million jobs in the country.
Our Take: If the government is truly serious about creating 21 million jobs from agriculture, then beyond the big promises and Abuja speeches, let’s see tractors on farmlands, irrigation channels flowing, and farmers actually getting credit without endless paperwork; if not, we risk adding these ‘jobs’ to the growing list of Nigeria’s invisible employment schemes, where the only thing harvested is press statements.
2. The Guardian: Federal Government is Insensitive to Doctor’s Welfare, NMA Reiterates
The Guardian reports that the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has chided the federal government for its serial breach of agreements with the association, alleging the government’s insensitivity towards the welfare of Nigerian doctors, which is indirectly aiding avoidable brain drain in the country.
Our Take: If Nigeria can keep signing health agreements the way it signs loan papers, perhaps doctors would finally stop packing their bags for Canada. We call on the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, to match words with action so that patients will stop waiting hours for a doctor who is already juggling 10,000 others, while politicians enjoy ‘medical tourism’ with taxpayer funds as if the Hippocratic oath only applies abroad.
3. The Nation: Tinubu’s Reforms Revolutionary, Says Ex-Speaker Dogara
The Nation reports former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, saying yesterday that President Bola Tinubu’s economic reform programme is a revolution, the most far-reaching in many decades of Nigeria’s nationhood.
According to him, the president inherited an economy in a comatose state, which needed such ‘bold and courageous’ decisions to pull it back from the brink.
Our Take: President Tinubu, if your ‘revolutionary reforms’ are truly for the people, then let them reflect in the price of garri, fuel, and transport, not just in glowing speeches; otherwise, this so-called revolution will look more like citizens tightening their belts while the leaders loosen theirs at the dinner table.
