The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) said it has critically reviewed the current situation in Nigeria and strongly cautions against the looming revolt and precipitous collapse of the nation.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja yesterday the national coordinator of CNG, Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, said they were deeply concerned about the general economic atmosphere which portends imminent danger, adding that it was imperative to address the escalating hardship that has permeated every segment of the Nigerian society.
He said today, life has become highly unbearable for the overwhelming majority of citizens and that the suffering of Nigerians is palpable across every stratum.
“The CNG holds the present and previous governments responsible for creating this dire situation for Nigerians. Current economic indices and data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) paint an ugly picture of our reality, as it confirms that 133 million Nigerians are already living in multidimensional poverty, while 20 million people, mostly young within the bracket of productive age, are either completely unemployed or underemployed.
People are increasingly losing hope about the government’s economic policies and institutions of governance. This poses a great danger to our dear country,” he said.
He said the CNG had observed that inflation had created horrible and traumatic economic consequences and had led to huge losses on investments, disruption of business activities, an increase in poverty, and unemployment. He observed that this is in addition to the social consequences created by insecurity, such as displacement of communities, loss of lives and properties, and psychological trauma, adding that it is no longer news that pervasive hardship across the country has eroded trust in the present government, and it’s exponentially threatening national unity, peace, and security.
“It is also worrisome that Nigeria’s overall inflation has risen to 34.19% from 22.41%, a steep 52.6% increase, while food inflation has surged from 24.82% to 40.66%, a 64% increase within a year—the highest recorded in decades,” he added.
