The Campaign for Equal Rights and Opportunities for all Nigerians, CERON, says the policies and programmes of the All Progressives Congress, APC, led Federation Government is making life difficult in Nigeria and driving more Nigerians into poverty.
The group noted that Nigerians are obviously unhappy and distraught with happenings in the country and the Federal Government seemed unperturbed even when the general election is just a few weeks away.
The CERON Secretary, Francis Odiir in a statement issued weekend in Makurdi pointed out that the lingering fuel scarcity and the sudden increase in its pump price has not only subjected Nigerians to unbearable hardship but has also “further impoverished the already economically battered masses.”
He said “the situation has also been made worse by the sudden rush to redesign the Naira and have old notes withdrawn from circulation by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
“While no one is against the apex bank carrying out its statutory responsibilities as regards the management of Nigeria’s currency, the manner the Bank is going about the redesign and deadline for withdrawal of old notes is rather subjecting Nigerians to untold hardship without apology.
“Just few weeks ago Nigerians woke up to realise that electricity tariff has been jerked up. Nigerias have been calling on the Federal Government to order a reversal but no one is listening.
“They give Nigerians the impression that the government is happy to see the masses suffer. Cooking gas is already out of the reach of Nigerians who have resorted to firewood and charcoal when we are supposed to encourage our people to plant more trees; they have gone back to felling trees because they cannot afford gas.
“And even kerosene which is commonly used even by poor families is out of the reach of the masses because a litre goes for as high as N900.”
“The wages of Nigerian workers can no longer take them home. The spiralling inflation in the country has seen our currency steadily losing its value, everything keeps thumbling and millions of Nigerians keep dropping into excruciating poverty.
“The people in government always use every given opportunity to create the impression that the government is doing well when in reality it is not, because Nigerians are crying that the government has taken everyone about 25 years backward. The truth is that Nigerians are not happy and you do not need a soothsayer to tell you that.”
