A coalition of 17 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), has called on the Federal Government to roll out a comprehensive social protection programme that will truly capture the poor and vulnerable in line with global good practices to get people out of poverty.
The CSOs made the call in a communique issued at the end of their meeting on Petrol Subsidy Removal and Palliatives in Abuja on Tuesday.
The organisations expressed deep concerns over government’s initiatives to urgently cushion the harsh economic and social effect of the subsidy removal policy on the citizens.
They recommended that “strategic communication of every process and stage of the implementation of the social protection policy is critical for success, especially in a country where corruption is endemic and the trust in government is at a low ebb.”
While lamenting that the current national minimum wage of N30,000 remains highly unsustainable considering the current economic condition, they recommended that a process for increasing the minimum wage should commence immediately at the federal, state, and local levels and by private sector employers as the current minimum wage no longer reflect the new realities.
They noted that government’s removal of subsidy pushed up prices of goods and services, like food stuffs, transportation costs, agricultural implements, and inputs, rent and other services, yet salaries were not increased, necessitating untold hardship, and suffering amongst the citizens.
The communique was signed by David Ugolor of ANEEJ; Abiola Akiode of WARDC; Monday Osasah of Centre LSD; Ene Ede of Equity Advocate; Funmi Akinyele of Food Basket Nigeria; Rommy Mom of Lawyers Alert; Otive Igbuzor of Centre LSD; Nelson Nwafor of FENRAD; Tijani Abdulkareem of SERDEC and David Anyaele of CCD.
Others were Y. Z. Ya’U of CITAD; Udy Akpan of YAF; Emem Okon of KEBETKACHE; Faith Nwadishi of CTA; Egedegbe Edewor of VREI; Idris Miliki of CHRCR and Obialunanma Nnaobi-Ayodele of Meluibe Foundation
