• We’re worried by rising living costs, Niger, Kano protests – FG
• CSOs ask Nigerians to prepare for more protests

Hours after protests erupted in some states across the country, the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, alongside some ministers were locked yesterday in a closed-door talks at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The meeting, which is of the Presidential Committee on Emergency Food Intervention, began around 6:00p.m. and had in attendance the Ministers of Education, Dr Tahir Mamman; Finance, Wale Edun; Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari and State for Agriculture, Mustapha Shehuri.

This is coming after angry youths and women took to the streets of Minna, Osun and Kano to protest what they described as the rising cost of living in the country, calling on President Bola Tinubu to address the problem of ‘hunger in the land.’

The Federal Government has expressed worry over the situation. Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Edun said the situation, which had produced growing discontent among the citizenry, was triggered by demand and supply forces. Edun said the only way to address the situation was to boost agricultural production, in particular, to force down inflation.

Meanwhile, a coalition of Civil Societies Organisations (CSOs) in Osun State yesterday asked poor Nigerians to prepare for massive protests following widespread insecurity and economic hardship in the country. The CSOs argued that there is no sense in the economic reforms embarked upon by the Federal Government under the leadership of President Tinubu, adding that the reforms have brought untold pains, suffering and deaths on masses.

These assertions were contained in a statement issued by the Chairman of the CSOs, Waheed Lawal and Secretary, Emmanuel Olowu. It read in full: “There is a need to revisit the 2012 Occupy Nigeria struggle. The ongoing economic hardship and total disregard for the plight of Nigerians by the Federal Government has made it necessary for Nigerians to rise and speak in one voice against the worsening economic situation.

“As we have been saying, any economic reform that will stifle the life out of Nigerians is satanic and should be rejected. We have for the past eight months exercised patience, hoping that the FG would take practical steps to ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerians. We had thought the gains of the removal of fuel subsidy would rub off the pains. Alas! We are wrong. What we have discovered is that the government has taken away money from the poor and gave it to government officials.

“There is no economic sense in removing the subsidy on petroleum products, devaluating the Naira, and raising tax and electricity tariffs at the same time. The supposed economic reform has brought pain, agony, and uncertainty to Nigerian homes. One does not need to be an economist to know that increment in fuel and tax will cripple local businesses and reduce productivity. It is an open fact that the devaluation of the Naira and the rising double-digit inflation rate have reduced the purchasing power of Nigerians; leading to paying more to buy little.

“Nigerians are suffocating without hope of relief in sight. The comfortable have become poor while the poor have become poorer and living in abject poverty. The cost of living has astronomically increased; staple foods are no longer available for the poor. Ailment and disease persist because the cost of drugs has increased far above the reach of the common people.

“The economic crisis is causing a decline in living standards, which is hurting our physical and mental health; and worsening existing conditions.

“The Federal Government has sufficiently displayed total disregard for the welfare and wellbeing of Nigerians, and it appears incompetent to address the worsening economic situation.

“We cannot continue to lament and grumble, the time to hit the street and occupy Nigeria is now. The poor should get ready to liberate themselves. We were on the streets against fuel subsidy removal in 2012 for a week; it is time to occupy Nigeria again to reject satanic economic reforms that have brought nothing but pain, agony, and death.”