From Our Correspondent
Two public sector reform experts, Dr Paul Alaje and Prof. Remi Aiyede have cautioned President Bola Tinubu to urgently reverse economic policies that are making life harder for Nigerians.
The experts observed that the Federal Government already took the left foot forward when it hurriedly pronounced removal of petroleum subsidy.
They said the government removed the subsidy without putting in a place well-thought out and sustainable economic measures.
To them, life is already hard for Nigerians who have become victims of what they termed: “visionless economic policies”.
The duo submit that any further pressure on the people is capable of pushing the populace to the walls.
”This may spark uprising of an unimaginable dimension,” they said.
TheNewsZenith reports that the experts spoke on the monthly interview discourse, “Boiling Point Arena” at the weekend.
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The discourse is a current affairs programme on Zoom and broadcast live on a Sweet 107.1FM station in Abeokuta
A media professional, Ayo Arowojolu in anchoring the monthly programme.
Dr Alaje, the Chief Economist at SPM Professionals, and Prof Aiyede, a lecturer at the Political Science Department, University of Ibadan.
In the discourse, Alaje observed that the inflation rate is rising on monthly basis in Nigeria.
”It has now increased by about 34 per cent and specifically, food inflation is already at 40 per cent.
”We do not need any soothsayer to raise the alarm that we are already walking on egg-shell.
”We need to quickly find policies that will reduce the impact on the people. It’s a big challenge for the authorities.
”The government must be careful so that people are not pushed to the wall.
”We need to quickly jettison anything policy that will make things harder for the people,” Alaje said.
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He noted that nothing was impossible and that the federal government ”should learn lessons from the Kenya uprising”.
Nigeria, he said, must avoid such occurrence.
Alaje also spoke about the implications of the country’s huge indebtedness to the World Bank, IMF and other international creditors on the uncontrollable inflation in Nigeria.
”The Central Bank of Nigeria unfortunately got it wrong in its bid to increase money supply.
”When you raise interest rates in an inflationary period and a country not productive, inflation will go up”, he submitted.
On his part, Prof. Aiyede criticised Tinubu’s economic policies as unorthodox and visionless.
He decried the many manifest inconsistencies, trial and error measures that have impacted negatively on the economy.
”Tinubu really has to go back to the drawing board. What I see causing hardship to virtually all Nigerians is a government that is just floating.”
The don described the current administration as seamen and not Navigators.
”I do not see Tinubu government taking Nigeria anywhere.
”We have a government that has muddled up everything with no responsiveness to issues.
”Our President should take a cue from what is happening in Kenya.
”The government must take the well-being of the people seriously.
”Tinubu should not wave off the agitations of our youths who are now more involved in the politics of issues.
“He should keep his promises, which ought to truly renew hope and not dash our hopes as we see it presently,” Aiyede said.
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