The leadership of the Labour Party (LP) has berated the President Bola Tinubu-led adminstration for allegedly wasting ₦4.3tn on palliatives and loans to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal.
The opposition insisted that the funds has no direct impact on the lives of Nigerians.
On July 31 last year, the President announced the government’s first sets of palliatives, which included ₦100bn to acquire 3,000 units of 20-seater CNG-fuelled buses, ₦200bn to boost agriculture production, ₦75bn for manufacturers, and ₦125bn for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and the informal sector.
According to him, the move would tone down the pains being experienced by Nigerians on account of fuel subsidy removal.
However, speaking to Punch, the National Publicity Secretary of the LP, Obiora Ifoh, argued that the rolled-out palliatives were a mirage and had not impacted Nigerians.
Ifoh said, “It is a usual thing for this government to bandy figures around. Has it percolated down to the grassroots? That’s the question. The Statistician-General recently came up with the inflation index, which shows that it is still on the rise. The food inflation rate is over 40 per cent in Nigeria. By food inflation, I am talking about those stable foods that ordinary Nigerians depend on, such as rice, beans, garri and other grains. They are all still going up. So, I don’t know where they spent their money.
“For instance, can you, as a Nigerian living in this country, confirm that any of your family received out of the N4.3trn palliatives? We don’t even know whether all these figures are always meant to end on the pages of newspapers. I have yet to see anybody in Nigeria who benefited from that money. Even in my village, I can tell you nobody has seen a dime. So where did they spend the money? That is the issue.
“I read some days ago about the report of their NEC economic meeting that they are going to give states millions of naira to cushion the effect of the hardship. Was that not the same thing they told us about a year ago? Yet, we have not seen anything. The truth is that we are not in any way criticising this government. We are only asking this government to do something urgently before it gets to the necks of Nigerians.”
The LP spokesman said Nigerians were facing difficulties, noting that the ₦62,000 minimum wage being proposed for workers was grossly inadequate.
“Up to this moment, they are still dilly-dallying on the minimum wage and they are saying N62,000. A few days ago, I did an analysis. An average family eats a loaf of bread that sells for about N1,600 to 1,800. If you multiply that N1,600 or N1,800 by 30 days in a month, you would have spent close to N50,000 just on bread alone. So we think they should wear a human face in this government.
“Now they are about to buy new presidential aircraft for both the President and the Vice President in this kind of economy. What we are saying is that this is not a priority. The whole nation shouted and cried over the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road or whatever they call it. But they ignored everybody and started sinking money into that project. It is simply a misplaced priority and they are not getting their act together.
“Up to this moment, the minimum wage has not been resolved. The way things are going, there is likely going to be another implosion and nobody knows when it will clear again. We are therefore appealing to this government to wake up and do the right thing for this Nigeria to remain peaceful and enjoyable for every Nigerian,” he added.