The Economic Hardship Faced by Nigerians has worsened, as the Palliatives made available to States by the Federal Government to cushion the effect of hunger in the country is not at the reach of the masses.
This development has however prompted the Catholic Church to call the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led Federal Government to order, urging it make the Palliatives available to Nigerians.
The Catholic Church has however tasked the tasked the Federal Government to subsidise food items and stop giving palliatives to a few individuals for selfish ends.
Archbishop Gabriel Leke Abegunrin of the Catholic Archdiocese in Ibadan, Oyo State who spoke on behalf of the Church at the Justice, Development and Peace Commission, in Ibadan said that instead of giving palliatives to a few people, who will convert them to private use, it will be better if the government subsidizes the costly food items in the markets to make them affordable for the masses.

Abegunrin said: “If the food items are subsidized, it will go round and eventually reach Nigerians. We often hear of palliatives being distributed but we never see them. We hope that the social welfare package should be extended to citizens of the state.

“We would also like to see funds allocated for the good of the people to be used for the purpose and not the endless accusations and counter-accusations that our political leaders continue to engage in, in the hallowed chambers.”

Archbishop Abegunrin added that the economic crisis is further compounded by much distress and anxiety occasioned by the linking of Bank Verification Number, BVN and National Identification Number, NIN.

He said: “While the government may be well-intentioned, the implementation has caused much distress and anxiety. After the cashless policy and scarcity of Naira in 2023, the banking sector must not be seen again as causing pain and stress to citizens who want to have easy access to their money.”