The rising cost of living in the country was driven partly by the reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu when he took office on May 29, 2023. The fuel subsidy gone proclamation forced manufacturers to increase prices of goods.
To cushion its concomitant hardship on citizens, Vice-President Kashim Shettima in February announced the establishment of a board charged with controlling and regulating food prices. The renewed hope administration also said it is working with rice producers to get more of it into the market.
The government ordered the distribution of 42,000 tonnes of grains, including maize and millet, from the national grains reserves. The administration also ordered the Nigeria Customs to auction the bags of confiscated rice in their warehouses.
Unfortunately, these measures did not bring the desired relief to the suffering Nigerians. Annual inflation is now close to 30%, the highest in three decades.
The cost of food has risen even more – by 35%. Many are going hungry, rationing what food they have or looking for cheaper alternatives. People are now eating the rice that is normally discarded during the milling process; the waste product that hitherto goes into fish ponds.
Honestly, salary increase will not solve the difficulties as wages have not kept up with the rising cost of living. It has been tumultuous for workers, considering the rising cost of living following the removal of fuel subsidy, among other policies.
The take home pay of a worker cannot take the worker home as workers struggle to survive and cannot meet the demands of their families. There is, therefore, the need for the federal government to approve a living wage that will make life bearable for workers.
A living wage has become necessary, considering the rising cost of living in the country.
The renewed hope administration should do the needful by making rice producers to flood the market with the staple.
Dangote, BUA, and other captains of industry should support the government by subsidising their products to make them affordable by the vast majority of Nigerians.
Abba Dukawa,
Abuja
