Workers’ Day: Saving Money Almost Impossible Under Buhari – Atiku

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, said the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has made it almost impossible for Nigerian workers to survive or save money due to the “hostile economic environment” it has put them in.

Atiku stated this in a Workers Day message posted to his Medium account on Saturday.

The former vice president said the current administration had put Nigerian workers in a worrisome condition as, “The increase in the national minimum wage has been matched or neutralised by astronomical inflation that is accelerating at a breathtaking rate almost daily.”

Atiku said even locally produced foods are not spared in the rising inflation, describing current food prices as “prohibitively expensive”.

THE WHISTLER had reported that the country’s headline inflation rose by 18.17% year-on-year in March, which was 0.82% higher than the rate recorded in February, 2021, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

“The Nigerian workers have never had it so bad. The impacts of the lockdown and worsening inflation have taken their heaviest toll on the working class. The situation is so bad that they are now living from hands to mouth,” said Atiku.

“It is almost inarguable that in the face of such low morale and poor motivation, productivity will inevitably take a nose dive amongst our workforce.

“Let me be clear, these challenges of economic survival are not limited to the civil servants alone. They affect the working class at all levels, including artisans and other low-income groups struggling desperately to put food on the table in the face of declining incomes and rising inflation.”

The former vice president further called on the Buhari administration to urgently review the costs of governance to address, “widespread extreme poverty and declining incomes among the economically vulnerable Nigerians”

He added that, “The extravagant lifestyles of elected officials, while poverty is decimating the people, is a demonstration of insensitivity. We can’t tell ordinary people to make sacrifices, while elected officials are reluctant to take the lead in making those sacrifices. Elected and appointed officials must, at all levels, cut down on their extravagant expenditures at the expense of the people.

“Despite these challenges, however, let us not lose hope in our country. Nigeria is bigger than those who preside over our affairs. We have more common interests that unite us than things that divide us. Let us not allow anyone to use us as fighting tools while they are busy protecting their own interests.”