Fuel Subsidy: CSOs Seeks Comprehensive Social Protection Programme

17 civil society organisations (CSOs) have called on the federal government to introduce a comprehensive social protection programme to aid the poor and vulnerable and alleviate poverty.

The call was made during a meeting on Petrol Subsidy Removal and Palliatives held yesterday in Abuja.

The CSOs expressed concerns about the government’s initiatives to mitigate the harsh economic and social impacts of the subsidy removal policy on citizens. They emphasized the need to update and transparently share information from the nation’s social register to ensure the proper distribution of funds to the masses.

The communique was signed by leaders from various CSOs, including David Ugolor of ANEEJ; Abiola Akiode of WARDC: Monday Osasah of Centre LSD; Ene Ede of Equity Advocate: Funmi Akinyele of Food Basket Nigeria; Rommy Mom of Lawyers Alert: Olive Igbuzor of Centre LSD: Nelson Nwafor of FENRAD: Tijani Abdulkareem of SERDEC and David Anyaele of CCD.

Others are Y. Z. Ya’U of CITAD: Udy Akpan of YAF: Emem Okon of KEBETKACHE: Faith Nwadishi of CTA: Egedegbe Edewor of VREI; Idris Miliki of CHRCR and Obialunanma Nnaobi-Ayodele of Meluibe Foundation.

Moreover, the CSOs urged for strategic communication of the implementation stages of the social protection policy, considering the endemic corruption and lack of trust in the government.

To address poverty, the CSOs recommended increasing access to basic education and primary healthcare for poor Nigerians. They also stressed the necessity to reevaluate the national minimum wage of N30,000, as it was deemed unsustainable in the current economic conditions. They called for an immediate process to increase the minimum wage at all levels, including the private sector.

According to them, governments at federal, state, and local levels should increase basic education, and primary healthcare for poor Nigerians to create increased access to social services.

“While that the current national minimum wage of N30,000 remains highly unsustainable considering the current economic condition, they recommended that a process for increasing the minimum wage should commence immediately at the federal, state, and local levels and by private sector employers as the current minimum wage no longer reflect the new realities,” it said.

They noted that government’s removal of subsidy pushed up prices of goods and services, like food stuffs, transportation costs, agricultural implements, and inputs, rent and other services, yet salaries were not increased. necessitating unfold hardship, and suffering amongst the citizens.

“Poverty rate has increased steadily over the years in Nigeria and has degenerated to the point of ranking third in the world in 2014, to the first position in 2018 with around 87 million people and a further slide to 133million of its citizens living in multi-dimensional poverty in 2022 (National Bureau of Statistics),” it said.

The CSO Leaders noted that social protection policies implementation combined with enlightened leadership and pressure from below has capacity to lift people out of poverty. China and India for instance lifted 730 million and 170 million people respectively out of poverty between 1990 and 2015.

“While social protection has been acknowledged across the world as a veritable way to reduce poverty. In line with this, there is need to update the Nigeria Social Register (NSR) and create awareness on the process of its compilation and the names on the register,” it noted.

The CSOs also recommended that the current administration adopt a comprehensive development agenda for the country as a piecemeal approach to dealing in with recurrent challenges faced by previous administrations will not in the long run.

The CSOs highlighted the potential of social protection policies, combined with enlightened leadership and grassroots pressure, to lift people out of poverty, citing successful examples in China and India.

They also stressed the importance of updating the Nigeria Social Register (NSR) and creating awareness about its compilation and the names on the register.