Activists urges Federal Government to take drastic measures to tackle poverty

Two concerned rights activists have said that the pit of poverty and anguish in which Nigerians are currently languishing will be deepened unless the Federal Government takes drastic steps to address the situation.

According to them, the citizens do not deserve the economic agony they are currently experiencing.

The activists said in separate interviews on Thursday that the government should initiate moves that would bring about redistribution of income to enhance the living standard of the citizens.

A lawyer and rights activist, Mr. Femi Aborisade, said such income redistribution strategies should involve the reviewing of the privatisation of public enterprises “by which the historical accumulated investments of decades were simply looted under the guise of sale.”

He said many panel reports had shown that the privatisation was used to dispossess the public.

Aborisade said rather than considering privatisation as an issue that undermined the capacity of the government to create jobs and provide the basic services to the people, the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government “keeps assuring its Western imperialist backers that it is more committed to privatisation than any past government in the country.”

He said, “Public projects should be executed by direct labour using collaboration between governments – nationally and internationally – through a system known as Public-Public-Partnerships rather than contract awards and Public-Private-Partnerships.

“The remuneration and living standard of those occupying elective offices should be brought within the average living standard of those they govern at any point in time.

“No elected public officer should earn more than 10 times whatever the minimum wage is at any point in time.

“As provided in the Code of Conduct for public officers, no public officer should earn remuneration from the public vault from more than one source.

“For example, the ministers and lawmakers who are taking pensions at the rate of incumbent governors and still earning salaries and allowances as ministers or legislators must be made to return them.

“Acquisition and maintenance of jets by the Presidency and some governors should be considered avoidable wastes.”

Aborisade, who doubted the government’s sincerity in the fight against corruption, said, “The APC-led Federal Government is hopelessly incapable of fighting corruption. Hence, it appears what is going on is recovery from those who are out of power for re-looting.”

He, however, called on the government to make the refineries to work to full capacity and build more to produce petroleum products for domestic use and for export.

Similarly, the National Coordinator, Rights Monitoring Group, Mr. Femi Aduwo, asked the government to initiate a policy that would compel multinational oil companies operating in Nigeria to build a refinery in the country.

He asked the government to change the perception that “we plan nothing, we spend all” to “Nigeria is a productive country” through drastic reduction in the wastage of resources.

Aduwo said, “It is embarrassing to hear that Nigerian Railway Corporation has above 10,000 workers on her payroll.”