TINUBU’S PALLIATIVE PLAN: "It was a mistake for us that live in the urban areas to have stampeded the government into withdrawing the N8,000 that was to be given to the poor in the rural areas. How many of us send more than N5,000 to our parents in the village?" Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, Professor Of Political Science Watch More and follow the Program on https://lnkd.in/dD3bWkkK #politicstoday #seunokinbaloye #channelstv
Seun Okinbaloye, Prof is seriously mitaken. The distribution of N8k cash palliaties would have been the largest corruption scandal in the history of Africa. The names on the poor and vunelrable peoples register were subjectively compiled. Community leaders simply put names of people they FELT were poor without any empirical proofs of the exact income figures of those "poor". There are people who work for Government for N36,000 per month who were not placed on that register because they are deemed "not poor because they work for government" whereas there are other people who sell tomatoes and pepper by the roadsides and make N2k profits per day, 25 days a month, who are placed on the register. Besides, the fact that the Tinubu administration backtracked is proof that the administration was not fully persuaded that it was a reasonable plan. After all, we objected to high fuel prices but they did not backtrack because they were persuaded that "subsidy is gone, no matter how long people protest." Why is the approach to the palliatives different? It means Government was not sure that it is a workable plan. The President goofed by rushing to withdraw the subsidy and collapsing the exchange rates. He didn't think things through.
The way people of 1960 think sometimes baffles me.
Even to the rural poor, #8,000 will not add anything to them in this current economy. Take a look at the prices of foodstuffs closely. It's in rural areas you would see a man with more than 20 children especially in the north. How could #8,000 make a difference in such a huge family in a country where Maize is sold #800, rice is sold at #1,300 to #1,500 per mudu?
Professor is on the side of myopic on this palliative grant. So now that I am in the city and as well unable to deliver a thousand naira to my parent, doesn't that mean that I am also poor.... so what is the difference. You're unable to question on Buhari Administration when he came up with empowering youths which I still praised him till today even as I wasn't part of the beneficiaries because I see majority people were empowered. Yet many through the process looted without making it available for the empowering youths due to lack of monitoring. Professor I am dying of hunger due to inflation impose by this administration o
It's either Prof. Bolaji is not in tune with reality or he is not being sincere to himself. One major problem we have is that those we describe as the poor when it comes to government programmes, are people we see as subhuman. Anyone who N8,000 palliative a month from the government means something to in this present economic condition, is less than human.
For a country that professes God more than any, Nigerians are evil at heart, forget the camera. The middle class embarrassed the government into taking away the 8K of the very poor. All they want is cheap petrol to continue with their choice lifestyle. And the high horse from which they make their submissions, so lacking of discretion that they enjoy saying how 8K is nothing (to them) forgetting it was never meant for them.
If I may ask, what is N8,000? This is literally equivalent to £7 in the current exchange rate, which is less than an hourly minimum wage of £10.47 in the UK. And someone considers this too much while politicians are busy embezzling millions of tax payers money. Jokers
The good Prof should know that the money wouldn't have gotten anywhere near the poor.
Contributing Writer at Tekedia
1yWe have seen foreign governments reduce their salaries, allowances, and forfeit residences and other benefits just to identify with the sufferings of the masses. Why tighten the belt of the masses with every policy and you say, "Let the poor breathe, do not suffocate them?" Another good point by Prof Bolaji is that the the voice of the vocal urban few has always been mistaken for the less vocal rural many. 8,000 means a lot these days. I receive calls and messages from friends and contacts asking for 1k and 500 naira. It's that bad and sad now. Urgent 2k has dropped as the benefactors have more people asking. The baby and the bath water is thrown out.