By Chikezie Udeh
Food, shelter and clothing as the basic human needs. I am compelled by recent developments to see security with equal importance. Any responsible government, should tackle these basic issues paramountly.
I am a mason doing odd jobs to earn a living with a family of five. I live in a slum that has been marked for demolition at Ugbo-Oghe in Abakpa Nike by the Enugu State Government. My family of six share a two bedroom flat for shelter at N350,000.00 per annum. If we manage N500.00 for a meal per individual, each person consumes N1,500.00 per day; multiplying it by six will sum up to N9,000 per day. These added together will give N270,000.00 per month and N3,285,000.00 a year. School fees for four children, clothings, transportation, medical care, light bills, water bills, security bills not included.
From the perspective of a mason let me assess the performance of this administration in one year in the areas of food, shelter, transportation, security.
In the 5th Republic, we were promised a change, we got a change actually but not for better. In this dispensation, we are confronted by even a worse situation than hardship. I do not doubt if some of the policies of this administration may yield good dividends at the long last but the question is how many of the common man will survive, or do we intend to phase out the ordinary Nigerians from the face of the earth?
FOOD:
The cost of food stuff has risen by above 200% in the last one year. Hunger, malnutrition and starvation are staring us, Nigerians, in the face and we are looking up to the present government to do something about them.
Farmers/herdsmen clashes are getting worse by day and the government seems to be asleep with both eyes closed, even snoring. This ultimately leads to loss of lives and inadequate food production. Do we farm to feed cows and stay hungry? Imagine the number of lives that have been lost in the last one year in this clashes and conclude if you will still go into farming knowing that the farms are now death knells.
A plate of food that sold at mama put for N300 last year now goes for as much as N1,000. Other prices are: a painter of garri – N3,500; a painter of rice –
N6,000; a painter of beans – N9,000. A small tuber of yam which was bought at N800.00 last year now goes for N3,000.00. Where are we headed to?
SHELTER
Cement, sand, granite, timber, plumbing materials, cabling and wires have skyrocketed to the high heavens. The military promised us shelter for all by the year 2000 and pursued it vigorously but since we entered democracy, the project started dwindling until it has come to a total collapse. Since Government is no more interested in the project and not many individuals can afford the cost of these materials, the need for shelter continues to rise and the existing landlords are forced to adjust their rents to suit the economic hardship. Most appalling is that instead of encouraging the laudable project of shelter for all the present administration is embarking on demolishing existing shelter. They leave the people at the mercy of Estate developers whose rent is above the affordability of the common man. With a minimum wage of N62,000.00 that the government is proposing, how can an ordinary Nigerian pay a rent of N800,000.00 per annum?
The slum which the ordinary men are pushed to hide in and use for shelter are being portrayed as hide outs for criminals and being demolished in every state including the FCT.
TRANSPORTATION:
Cost of motor parts keep rising per day and fuel is no longer within the common man’s reach. A trip from Abuja or Lagos to Enugu during the last Christmas festival was above N30,000 when some state governments could not even afford to pay N25,000 minimum wage. A short distance which used to cost N50.00 to transport now goes for as much as N300.00. Most of our roads are so devastated that road accidents are now on the increase with incessant attacks of unknown gunmen and kidnappers. As a common man, I dare not discuss flight tickets because I must be tested of malaria if I consider boarding a plane any day.
To make matters worse, the government is taxing the transporters heavily which cost they must transfer to commuters and the masses in the long run.
SECURITY:
This is an area which the government claims to be so much interested in but after one year, insecurity has continued to be on the increase. How can our Senators be concerned when the Federal Government purchased bullet prove cars for them at the expense of tax payers? The governed are left at the mercy of kidnappers, assassins, ritualists and herdsmen.
In Delta State, about 17 soldiers were murdered recently, and the government promised to leave no stone unturned at fishing out the culprits. If our security forces are murdered by criminals, surely insecurity has taken over our nation. The story of the dead soldiers seems to have been forgotten even as more soldiers are being murdered every other day.
In Kaduna state, over 280 children and teachers were abducted. Afterwards, we were informed of the return of 150 of them. The where about of the remaining 130 hostages are yet to be explained. Much is still desired in a government that will tell its people that it does not matter if ransom was paid to rescue the school children or not that what should matter is that they have been released. I am tempted to become a kidnapper by this pronouncement.
In Kogi and Benue States, over 200 people were slaughtered by herdsmen.
TAXES, LEVIES AND BILLS:
Despite the outrageous taxes charged our foreign investors which is forcing them out of the country to neighbouring countries, our government has condescended to collecting levies from Keke riders, barrow-pushers, hawkers and petty-traders. These taxes are not even channeled to better uses than luxury and ostentatious lives of government officials. When government discourages the people with outrageous taxes, the people will be forced to fold their businesses and finally join the congested job market. This inadvertently will reduce the number of traders which will lead to scarcity and monopoly which finally will lead to inflation.
SUGGESTIONS:
The gap between the government and the people is two wide. The government both at the federal, state and local government should endeavour to bridge these gaps by getting closer to the people. They are expected to dialogue with the people to find out if the kidnaps and insecurity are as a result of some warranted grievances which could be addressed.
When hunger ravages the people and they cannot afford the basic food, shelter and clothing , there is bound to be unrest which could lead to strife, revolution and anarchy. A hungry man, they say, is an angry man. How can a man be expected to be calm when his aged parents and children are dying of hunger and starvation while some are leaving in affluence with the tax payers money. If this matter is addressed, it will go a long way in addressing the insecurity and unrest that is ravaging the nation and probably avert the revolution strife and anarchy that is looming.
