From Wole Balogun, Ado Ekiti
Leadership of the Ekiti chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to take critical actions that would make his change agenda impact positively on the lives of Nigerians.
The labour group urged Buhari to urgently rejig his economic team so that his much publicised and propagated change mantra won’t end like a mere slogan without any positive effect on the lives of citizens.
Chairman of the state chapter of NLC, Comrade Ade Adesanmi said this in his Sallah message to Muslims in Ado Ekiti, yesterday.
Adesanmi also said what Buhari promised Nigerians before the March 28, 2015 presidential poll was an eldorado that wouldn’t take time to come.
“President Buhari campaigned in all the 36 states of the Federation and what he promised us was life full of peace and abundance.
“However, the president has been able to give us peace by way of tackling Boko Haram insurgents while he has also taken decisive actions against militancy in the Niger Delta, but, the issue of the receding economy as shown in the skyrocketing prices of goods and services and job losses by Nigerians are worrisome.
“President Buhari did not promise that a bag of rice, which was sold for N9,000 will be sold for N40,000.
“He didn’t promise that a bag of cement which was sold for N1,500 will be sold for N2,500 within one year he assumed office. He didn’t promise that a litre of petrol which cost N87 will be jacked up to N145, among other food items which prices have jumped up in four folds.
“The APC-led Federal Government must look beyond its party to solving our economic problems. We suggest that president Buhari rejig his economic team.
“He must make changes before things get out of hands.
“As much as we align with the idea of relying on Nigerian products to grow our economy, we disagree with the idea of total ban placed on some food items to allow internal production of such commodity.
“Of particular reference, the federal government should lift the ban placed on rice importation and set a minimum of three years to allow for internal production of rice before effecting the ban. This, I think, will be the best way for Nigeria to get out of the famine ravaging the land.
Adesanmi, who appealed to Muslims to continue to co-exist peacefully with their Christian brothers, called on politicians to stop politicising the economic recession that is hitting the masses.
“This is the time for sober reflection and not a time to apportion blames. We have a problem at hand that is affecting very Nigerian, both high and low and the best way to get out of it is to make good suggestions that will be in the interest of all Nigerians rather than making political capital out of an unfortunate situation”, Adesanmi advised.