STATEMENT BY EDO CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS (EDOCSO) ON ECONOMIC HARDSHIP AND UNBEARABLE HUNGER ON CITIZENS OF NIGERIA AND DEMAND TO END IT NOW BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA. DELIVERED ON SATURDAY, 10TH FEBRUARY, 2024

We welcome all the ever steadfast comrades, citizens of our great nation and residents of Edo state, members of the press and distinguished ladies and gentlemen to this press conference.

The Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO) having observed and analysed carefully the cause of the unbearable hunger and economic hardship in Nigeria today, we discovered and concluded, that it’s as a result of the wickedness and inaptitude of the government of today who do not care about the welfare of the Nigeria citizens, and as such this is a breach of the contract entered by president Bola Ahmed Asiwaju Tunubu on the 29th day of may 2023 when he took the oat of office. And since that first day of taking over the leadership of Nigeria, Nigeria as a country has known no peace in terms of our daily living, starting from the increase in fuel price till date, continuous rising of dollar that has affected everything in Nigeria including farm produced that comes from our local farm to our markets today, this has make the saying that whatever goes up must surely come down an irony, considering dollar – naira exchange rate and suffering in Nigeria.

With dismay, pain and agony we have watched Nigerians groan in pains even when we try to assist as individual from our own personal struggles is still never enough, and this has led to the continuous rising of suicide being committed by Nigerians everyday because they can no longer bear the hunger and sufferings, woman are turning to widows and men widowers, children becoming fatherless or motherless all because, parents can no longer bear the pain of watching their children suffering, as a result of not being able to provide a meal for their children.

Is it the crime that has increased all over the 36 states including the FCT ? everyday we hear and experience kidnapping, arm robbery all over the country,
that even the common local Farmer, Petty trader and mechanics are now being kidnapped in Nigeria, in exchange for whatever the kidnappers can scoop for themselves from innocent citizens as ramsom. The federal government has suddenly become somewhat deaf and dumb that they have refused to act or do anything about it, the almighty Giant of Africa has suddenly become Handicapped

Today in our markets, we can not even buy products manufactured by us locally, even the foods we bring from our local farms, all because the prices of food and all other things are going up every blessed days, and the government supposedly have Agencies that controls market price, while these agencies watch in their slumber with their hands folded doing nothing to correct these abnormallies in the system and yet we say we have government in Nigeria?

Citizens get sick in Nigeria today, you can’t even afford money to buy common paracetamol, there are no health centers or government hospital to go to by citizen’s to be attended to, with little or no money. In some cases you go to the very limited hospitals and you are not well attended to by professionals because of it’s shortage, you can’t even get drugs from these few hospitals that are available and yet the wife of the president could donate 100,000 dollars to Sierra Leone to build hospital when we have needs for it here in Nigeria, how do you give what you don’t have? or is it the billions of naira that are been misappropriated or diverted into personal pockets by known and unknown government officials under this federal government everyday with impunity, and yet the perpetrators walk freely on the streets, money that could be use to better the Nigeria Society and citizens.

We also wants to state here that we are most disappointed in the National House Of Assemblies who has become a puppet in the hand of the Executive not knowing the power the constitution gave them to serve the people, but unfortunately we have slumbering representative who originally don’t know why they were sent to the National House Of Assemblies. But feel it’s their time to enrich themselves at the expense of Nigerians and we think to the extent of their uselessness, they should all go home, so Nigerians can now conveniently know they have a country without legislators.

Flowing from the above, it is clear of the general sufferings that Nigerians has been plunged into by the federal government since the day of taking over, due to the removal of fuel subsidy without proper plans on ground to ensure the welfare of Nigerians, and of course the further devalue of our Naira till date.

We say to the federal government led by president Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that he has failed in his responsibilities and agreement reached with Nigerians, in Section 14 subsection 2b and Section 16 subsection 1b of the 1999 Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria. And as such have made the following demands

OUR DEMANDS

1. That as a matter of Urgency put in place all machineries to ensure proper market price regulations to end the current Economic Hardship in Nigeria.
2. That all Economic processes to give value to our currency be put in place.
3. A proper Fair and citizens friendly policies be put in place to ensure economic stability in Nigeria.
4. All security measures to end insecurity be activated immediately.
5. If the Legislators are not ready to be Legislators and live up to their responsibilities and hold executive to perform according in with the constitution, they should shot down the Houses of assembly and go home, before we begin a call back on all of them.

CONCLUSION

We want to state clearly, that failure for the federal government to swing into emergency Action to end this HUNGER and Economic Suffering In Nigeria within the next two weeks, The President and the Vice should resign so we can elect a better leader, or we at Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO), will have no option than to mobilize other citizens all over the country on a Tunubu Shetima must go protest, and we shall ensure a change in the Leadership of Nigeria government to prove that indeed section 14 subsection 2a can be activated on any person elected into place of leadership.

We want to say thank you Nigerians for your patience and hard work so far, together we shall ensure a better tomorrow for Nigerians and not this present better yesterday that we are currently experiencing. Let’s not be discouraged by the show of ineptitude of our leaders, but focus on taking back our country from the hands of greedy politicians.

God Bless The Federal Republic Of Nigeria!

God Bless Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO)

God Bless Us All Nigerians.

Thank you.

SIGNED:
Leftist Austine Enabulele
Interim TEC Chairman
Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO)

Leftist Grace Okike
Interim TEC Secretary
Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO)