Uyo residents blast FG over subsidy palliative
As reactions continue to trail the federal government plan to pay eight thousand naira to 12 milliion household in Nigeria as palliative for the period of six months, Uyo residents have expressed displeasure over such plan describing it as deliberate attempt to insult the poor masses.
Our reporter who went to the streets of Uyo to sample the opinion of the citizens on this plan, reports that most of them spoke in rage saying such meager amount could only be proposed by a government which does not mean well for it’s citizens.
Mr. Okon Johnson Etuk, a business man said he was disappointed by the Tinubu led federal government, saying that nobody expected that the Tinubu’s administration could come up with such framework which he described as lame that would continue to put Nigerians in perpetual poverty.
The plan he continued, is a clear testimonial that the Tinubu’s administration may not have any thing tangible to offer Nigerians despite the high expectations of the masses.
He advised the Federal government to rescind the plan but rather should channel the fund to building a refinery or better still invest in electricity generation and distribution so as to help small and medium scale businesses to grow.
To Miss Iniobong Udo Uwa, a simstress, “how could a government who claims to renew the hope of Nigerians embarks on such plan? How would 8000 naira monthly for six months alleviate poverty? This is nothing but another conduit pipe to drain our common wealth in the name of given to the poor masses of Nigerians.”
She questioned the reason the federal government should plan to spend an homongous some of 70 billion naira on Federal house members who are less than five hundred, and a paltry 8,000 naira on millions of poor Nigerians, saying that there was no justification for such insensitivity on the part of the Federal government.
Miss Iniobong said that she viewed the plan as a misplaced priority and an indication that Nigeria may likely not go out of its present hopeless situation.
She advised President Tinubu to think well before embarking on the final disbursement of the fund, adding that such money should be channelled into meaningful ventures such as building of industry, seaport and even to fund private security organisations seeking to become government agencies like the Peace Corps of Nigeria and others.
Pastor Ememobong Sandy was of the opinion that such palliative will never alleviate poverty in Nigeria. He added that Nigeria’s problem needs permanent solution and not remedial.
According to him, the palliative would end up in the private purse of politicians as according to him, were the case in the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Government should tell us they have no good intention of reviving the country, this is the least expected of the Tinubu’s administration.
It would be recalled that
President Bola Tinubu had written to the Senate to seek approval for $800 million loan to finance the National Social Safety Network Programme.
He announced that the federal government will transfer the sum of N8,000 per month to 12 million low-income households!
These families, across the 36 states of the federation, would get the money for a period of six months.
The funds according to him, is to help lessen the hardships faced by Nigerians as a result of subsidy removal and enable the poor and vulnerable Nigerians to cope with the cost of meeting basic needs.
