A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger state, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa has said that the current economic situation in the country is taking a toll on Nigerians, adding that the hardship is real.
Vatsa who was the Publicity Secretary of the APC in the state, stated this on Tuesday in Gulu Vatsa community, Lapai local governments area of Niger state when he distributed cash to the elderly and the vulnerable in the spirit of the Sallah celebration.
He pointed out that the current economic challenges in the country has pushed majority of Nigerians into extreme poverty, warning that if the situation is not addressed, the country might explode.
The former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism and also blamed the rising insecurity in parts of the country on the current hardship which according to him has pushed many impatient Nigerians into crimes as the only means of survival.
According to him “the number of Nigerians that have been forced into extreme poverty has doubled in the last one year.
“Majority of Nigerians are on life support machine and are only surviving by the mercy of God.
“Nigeria is sitting on the keg of gun powder waiting to explode if the situation continues and nothing is done to address the growing hardship. It is an understatement to say that Nigerians are suffering”.
While commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the various reforms aimed at addressing the “dead” economy he inherited from former President Muhammadu Buhari administration which has brought the current hardship to Nigerians, Vatsa warned that the reforms must bear fruits at the end if not the government would have succeeded in shot changing Nigerians.
Accordingly, he said “there is nothing wrong with reforms but everything will be wrong with such reforms when it failed to bear fruits at the end.
“The current economic reforms have pushed Nigerians to the limit and the benefits of it should not end in pockets of few individuals like was the case in Buhari administration”.
Vatsa who is the Special Adviser to Niger state Governor on Private Public Partnership (PPP) disclosed that, while Nigerians were constantly told to be patient with the Buhari administration and its fruitless economic reforms, “individuals in the government were busy enriching themselves with public funds”.
He however appealed to well to do individuals in the society to always remember the elderly, the poor and the vulnerable ones, especially during festivity like the Sallah celebration and put smiles on their faces.
In his words: “we must always remember to reach out to this group of people in our society and show them love, especially during festivities like the Sallah celebration. It is very important in the eyes of God”.
