Importation of food items won’t solve Nigeria’s economic problems, group says

Sun, Nov 17, 2024
By editor
3 MIN READ

Economy

ALHAJI Rasaki Oladejo, President of Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN), says importation of food items by the Federal Government will not eliminate the current economic hardship in Nigeria.

Oladejo gave the advice during MUSWEN’s 9th General Assembly 2024 on Sunday in Ibadan.

“Let me sound a note of warning, that food importation should not be an option to be considered.

“It is not a solution because it will make a mockery of subsidy removal,” he said.

Oladejo said however that while government’s economic policies were harsh, they were meant to correct the maladministration of the past and put the country on a firm economic footing.

He urged government to utilise the gains made from subsidy removal on improving security, infrastructure development, providing electricity, massive food production and employment-generating projects.

The MUSWEN President also said the current economic situation in Nigeria required serious caution to handle, urging government to show more human feelings.

He urged the Federal Government to put measures in place to mitigate the general suffering brought on the citizenry by some of the economic policies.

“Although we recognise the fact that the situation is not the creation of the Bola Tinubu administration, the government should do all in its power to alleviate the sufferings of the people,” Oladejo said.

“President Tinubu should make life comfortable for the people, even as I also urge Nigerians to be careful and not play into the hands of politicians who have never seen anything good in Tinubu’s administration,” he added.

In his remarks at the occasion, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, urged Muslims to assist the less privileged and sponsor more female Muslim students to become  doctors.

Abubakar pledged to continue sponsoring 12 female students in the South-West states to become doctors, and urged Muslims to always be their brothers’ keepers.

“The unity of Islam is not negotiable and Muslims should not allow anyone to come in between them,” he said.

In his remarks, Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State said Muslims in the South-West states have a lot to do to foster unity in the region.

Makinde, who was represented by his Deputy, Mr Bayo Lawal, pledged the readiness of his administration to support Muslims in the state.

Also speaking, Chairman of MUSWEN’s Board of Trustees, Dr Wale Babalakin, said he was worried that corruption and other vices still persisted in spite of Nigerian people’s increased adherence to religion.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the occasion witnessed the presentation of “Sultan scholarship award” to 12 female medical students in the south-west.

MUSWEN is an umbrella body of Muslim organisations in the six states in the South-West geo-political zone of Nigeria.(NAN)

A.I

Nov. 17, 2024

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