According to PUNCH reports, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has made a passionate appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently address the worsening hunger and poverty crisis ravaging the country.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Oyintiloye, a former member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, warned that the food inflation rate in Nigeria has hit a record high of 40.66% as of May 2024, surpassing the previous month's 40.53% increase.
He said this has made basic household food items like rice, beans, garri, and spaghetti unaffordable for the common man.
"Nigerians are hungry and living below the poverty line. Many households are finding it extremely difficult to have three square meals due to the prevailing harsh economic conditions in the country," Oyintiloye lamented.
The APC stalwart also drew attention to a grim United Nations prediction that 82 million Nigerians, representing about 64% of the country's population, may go hungry by 2030 if urgent steps are not taken.
"Hunger is a threat to national peace, and that is why the president must act very fast," he warned, urging Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on hunger, starvation, and poverty.
Oyintiloye said the failures of successive governments to drive the economy productively and over-dependence on crude oil revenue sharing have hindered Nigeria from harnessing its abundant natural and human resources for the benefit of the masses.
He commended President Tinubu's various economic intervention programs but lamented that their impact has been far from adequate in ameliorating the worsening situation.
The APC chieftain called for the re-opening of the Benin Republic border to allow for food importation, as well as the provision of adequate farm inputs and security to boost local food production.
He also advocated for price control mechanisms to curb the sharp practices of unscrupulous traders exploiting the situation.
Oyintiloye appealed to Nigerians to continue supporting President Tinubu, expressing confidence that with the right policies and interventions, the country would overcome the current economic challenges.