The apex northern socio-cultural and political organisation, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has said measures put in place by the present administration against the prevailing hardship in the country are only treating the symptoms and not the main cause of the problem.
This is just as ACF also describes the distribution of palliatives across the country as a temporary measure that will not solve the problem, adding that concrete solutions are required so that the situation will not get too serious.
National Publicity Secretary of the Forum, Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba told Saturday Telegraph on phone that the government must immediately look for the solution to the problem, by removing the impediments to food production like insecurity and others.
Professor Tukur said the hope of the majority of Nigerians is that “The government will marshal all the resources, human and material resources in order to confront the prevailing situation in the country, the situation is very serious.
“What is more worrisome is that unless something is done and fast the situation is getting more serious. The bad aspect is that the medicine is not working, that is if any medicine is even being applied at all.”
The ACF Spokesman said, “What we see now, is like what someone said, the government is treating the symptoms instead of the cause of the problem. Government must do something concrete, palliatives are palliatives and that is what they are. It is to temporarily relieve problems. What we need now is concrete steps to overcome the problem.
“What is happening is like having malaria, you can treat malaria, but if you want a permanent solution, a more enduring solution, it is to take measures to stop the insects that are carrying malaria parasites. Destroy stagnant pools of water, clean the gutters and use insecticides.
“All these are more critical than treating malaria. That is the situation we are in, government knows the cause of hunger, the dollar, price of fuel, all these have an effect on the availability and affordability of food.
“Let me add, I don’t think there is no food in the country, there is adequate food in Nigeria, relatively, what is lacking is the purchasing power, no matter the food you see in the market, if people cannot afford them, then the plenty we see as embodied in our National anthem has no meaning and so on.
“This is what the government should be doing, seen to be doing to attack the sources of the problem and not to try to relieve the symptoms. Government needs to do whatever it takes to relieve the people of hardship, government should do all within its power to relieve the purchasing power of the people.
“They should remove the impediment to food production, whether insecurity, technology, extension services and others. Nigerians are wasting too much energy that subsidy must return, it is not all about the return of subsidy, what do we do to overcome these challenges in meaningful ways, he said.