Palliatives or Politics? A Concerned Citizen’s Perspective -By Aliyu Baba Mohammed

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (Northwest Zone), Abdullahi Yakasai, has announced that the Federal Government distributed “20 trucks of rice and 20 trucks of fertilizer” to each state of the federation as economic relief for Nigerians.

A commendable gesture, but let’s be honest.

The real question is: will these items actually reach the people?

History has shown us again and again that government palliatives in Nigeria are frequently “diverted, mismanaged, and hijacked” long before they reach the most vulnerable Nigerians. Without transparent and accountable distribution systems, good intentions mean very little or nothing on the ground.

But there is an even deeper concern.

Sharing rice is NOT a solution to a structural economic crisis in Nigeria currently.

The Tinubu administration must go beyond palliatives and urgently address the root causes of Nigeria’s hardship; starting with a critical review/reversal of:

i. Stringent “tax reform” policies

ii. Upward “electricity tariff” adjustments

iii. The “floating of the Naira”

iv. The “removal of fuel subsidy,” which has visibly worsened the lives of ordinary Nigerians without delivering any promised economic relief. It cannot even stop the government from borrowing consistently.

The common man is suffering more today than before these policies were implemented. ‘Nigerians are not feeling the benefits; only the pain.’ So what is the essence?

Good governance is not about managing poverty with rice or food items. It is about implementing policies that ‘’restore dignity, reduce hardship, and create real opportunity’ for every Nigerian; not the few privileged individuals.

The government must listen, and do the needful, because the people are speaking with heavy heart.

Aliyu Baba Mohammed, writes from Kaduna State, Nigeria.

He can be reached via: aliyu0380@gmail.com