Hardship: Tinubu asked to Relaunch National Social Investment Programmes

The Convener of Concerned Nigerians, Comrade Deji Adeyanju, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to restart all the national social investment programmes to address prevalent hunger and economic hardship faced by Nigerians. Adeyanju also urged Tinubu to partner with religious bodies and traditional rulers in the implementation of national social investment programmes to cater to […]

The Convener of Concerned Nigerians, Comrade Deji Adeyanju, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to restart all the national social investment programmes to address prevalent hunger and economic hardship faced by Nigerians.

Adeyanju also urged Tinubu to partner with religious bodies and traditional rulers in the implementation of national social investment programmes to cater to the hungry masses.

The rights activist cum lawyer disclosed this in a statement issued to journalists in Abuja, the country’s capital on Thursday in reaction to recent protests embarked upon by Nigerians in three states.

Recall that early this year Tinubu suspended all administered programmes by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) over alleged financial misconduct by the agency’s boss, Halima Shehu,

President Tinubu suspended NSIPA Chief Executive Officer, Shehu, due to alleged financial impropriety, and appointed the N-Power programme manager, Akindele Egbuwalo, to act in her stead until investigations are concluded by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

All four suspended Programmes administered by NSIPA are the N-Power Programme, Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme, and Home Grown School Feeding Programme.

In his plea with Tinubu to bring back the social initiatives, Adeyanju said, “While we acknowledge that the suspension of all administered programmes by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) was initiated as part of the ongoing investigation into alleged financial malfeasance by Halima Shehu, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NSIPA, we urge President Tinubu to recognize the dire consequences of the continued suspension on the lives of ordinary citizens.”

“It is imperative to recognize that Nigeria is currently sitting on a time bomb of hardships, banditry, insecurity, and kidnapping. The cumulative effect of these challenges has pushed our nation to the brink. If urgent measures are not taken to cushion the effects of this hardship, we fear that mass protests may erupt across the country, potentially leading to a serious revolution.”

“We must acknowledge that there is a limit to what the people can endure. If President Tinubu genuinely cares about the well-being of the citizens and seeks to alleviate their suffering, it is important that he reinstates the suspended programmes that can provide much-needed support to ordinary citizens and the vulnerable.”

The economic hardship has been hitting Nigerians since the removal of the fuel subsidy on May 29, 2023, and the Presidency keeps appealing to the citizens to be patient with the policies instituted to stabilise the economy.

This has led to public outrage on social media and streets as residents of Niger and Kano states protested this week calling on the president to ameliorate their suffering.

Similarly, market women and men trooped to the streets in Lokoja, Kogi State on Wednesday to protest the high cost of food items in the market, resulting in low patronage.

Meanwhile, Organised Labour, Thursday, issued a 14-day notice of nationwide strike to the Federal Government for failing to honour the agreement it reached on October 2, 2023 in combating the suffering emanted from fuel subisdy removal.