By Uchenna Eletuo
Nigeria’s economic challenges have continued to make more people vulnerable in spite of efforts of the Federal Government to revamp the economy.
Many citizens are no longer able to meet basic needs, prompting the federal, states and local governments, as well as religious and other organisations, to give food palliatives and other forms of succour to the less privileged.
Well-meaning individuals and groups also show such kindness.
Critics observe that while genuine efforts to provide food palliatives for the hungry is commendable, distribution of some food palliatives has been characterised by fraud and other forms of corruption.
They argue that stampedes associated with distribution of food palliatives in Ibadan, Anambra and Abuja recently have made the palliatives undesirable.
“Teach me how to fish instead of giving me fish is better and more sustainable.
“Humanitarian works tailored to train and empower people in specific vocations are much more sustainable than food palliatives that only offer temporary relief,’’ says, a trader, Mr Peter Odunola.
He argues that the recent stampedes that characterised food palliatives distribution and claimed lives in Anambra, Oyo and Abuja brought to the fore, the extent people are hungry and anxiously crave to grab whatever is available to survive.
“Has palliative become a feature of our social life? Is there no means to transit to enduring socio-economic variants that evenly guarantee self-actualisation?’’ Odunola asks.
The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most. Rev. Adewale Martins, strongly believes that creating an enabling environment for investments and businesses to flourish will create more jobs, meaningfully engage the youth and reduce unemployment, poverty and hunger.
According to Martins, the masses should be empowered to work and fend for themselves rather than giving them food palliatives.
“There should be appraisal of our existing laws and enforcement of laws as well as implementation of policies that will open up the business environment, attract investors and create more jobs so that citizens can afford their basic needs.
“Palliatives offer only short-lived relief and cannot be a sustainable economic measure,” the cleric argues.
He advocates more investments in the agricultural sector of the economy to make foodstuffs more available and reduce high cost of essential food items such as rice, beans, onions and maize.
”If citizens have food in their homes, people will not endanger their lives scrambling for palliatives in the way it happened.”
The Executive Secretary of Caritas Nigeria, Dr Uchechukwu Obodoechina, urges Nigerians not to rely on food palliatives.
“It does not dignify the human person and has no bearing in the advancement of the economy,” he says.
Obodoechina argues that national development involves promotion of the dignity of man.
”Development must be complete; that is, it has to promote the good of every man and of the whole man.”
Caritas Nigeria is a humanitarian arm of the Catholic Church. It was instituted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria to carry out humanitarian works.
Obodoechina advises Nigerians to go back to farming as a strategy to tackle hunger.
“Agriculture should be the backbone of many communities, particularly in rural areas, providing food and income for families and accounting for a significant proportion of gross domestic product.”
He says Caritas Nigeria is doing much to promote agriculture in Lagos and some other states.
“Caritas Nigeria, through its agriculture and livelihoods intervention programmes currently being executed in Badagry, Ikorodu and Epe areas of Lagos, Ekiti and other states, has provided farmers with skill, inputs, technologies and other resources necessary to improve productivity, adapt to changing weather patterns and promote sustainable farming practices.
“The beneficiaries, trained for a period of three months, were empowered with inputs to begin.
“Many of them have become well established in their chosen areas and hire persons to assist them in their works,” he explains.
The executive secretary emphasises that skills acquisition will help many Nigerians, especially the youth, to overcome poverty.
The General Superintendent of the Holy Spirit Mission, Ikeja, Bishop Charles Ighale, suggests that food palliatives distribution should be substituted with long-lasting measures such as skills development, education and financial support for small and medium scale businesses.
He urges to public office holders to make more sacrifices for the welfare of the masses.
“Governments, which accept to reduce their share of the wealth of the nation and allow the people’s welfare to be of greater importance, survive more.
He appeals to the Federal Government to introduce more people-oriented policies to tackle economic hardship.
“Great leaders are made during tough times.
“Other sources of wealth creation should be explored by the government,” he says.
For the Chief Imam, Lagos State University, Prof. Sanni Amidu, food palliatives, although an expression of concern, should not be an alternative to social welfare.
He also advises that food palliatives distribution should not be politicised.
The cleric says all tiers of government should intensify efforts at discharging their duties effectively to bring succour to the masses.
He urges equal opportunities for all citizens, urging that wealth creation should be prioritised by local councils, states and the Federal Government.
A journalist, Mr Ude Anyanwu, advises Nigerians to take advantage of empowerment opportunities provided by governments and well-meaning organisations and groups to be self-reliant.
He notes that beyond food palliatives, governments, corporate organisations groups, and even individuals have provided skills acquisition programmes, distributed empowerment tools and provided funds for some citizens for self-reliance.
He is worried that some beneficiaries of such gestures sold the empowerment tools while others did not apply them well.
“The citizens also have a role to play. It is not only about what governments should do,” he argues.
Analysts call for more efforts by the three tiers of government to improve Nigeria’s economy to reduce poverty and hunger, urging the citizens to take advantage of empowerment opportunities to overcome poverty. (NANFeature)
