Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) and ActionAid Nigeria have said plan by the Federal Government to provide N8,000 monthly allowance to 12 million citizens will only provide temporary relief and will not cushion impact of inflation on livelihood of the poor.
They said if government wants to provide succour, it should be talking about providing palliatives for over133 million Nigerians, said to be multi-dimensionally poor, based on figures released by National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), last year.
Country Director of ActionAid, Ene Obi, during a joint press briefing with CSJ, in Abuja, yesterday, urged government to consider long-term effects of its palliative, which seeks to cushion impact of fuel subsidy removal on the larger populace. She also called for sustainable solutions to address roots of poverty in the country.
Lead Director of CSJ, Eze Onyepere, noted that if the N500 billion earmarked to be disbursed to the poorest of the poor is divided among 133 million Nigerians that are multi-dimensionally poor, it would yield N3,759 per person, while if the N70 billion earmarked for members of the House of Representatives is divided among 469 members, each lawmaker would take home N149 million.
Onyepere said the idea of paying N8,000 to some Nigerians was entirely taken by the President and his executives, and was not discussed with organised labour or civil society. According to him, it is obviously insufficient to take care of the needs of Nigerians
The two organisations called on government to consider more robust sustainable mechanism that prioritises financial inclusion and targets the most vulnerable populations.
They advocated increase in minimum wage to N100,000 per month and increased resources for social health insurance, adding that all individuals on the National Social Register should have access to health insurance.
