Northern traditional rulers, NBA bemoan economic hardship, urge Tinubu to rescue situation

Northern traditional rulers in Nigeria and the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, have decried the hardship in the country influenced by the fuel subsidy removal which had resulted in higher transport costs and food inflation.

The traditional rulers and the NBA on Wednesday, February 14, requested the Federal Government to quickly address the situation.

Protests had broken out in different parts of the country in reaction to the high cost of living with citizens in Niger, Kano, Kogi, Ondo, and other states demanding solutions to the economic crisis.

But echoing the dire economic situation again on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar lll, decried the deteriorating socio-economic conditions and the insecurity ravaging the country.

Speaking at the sixth executive committee meeting of the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council with the theme: ‘Enhanced Security as a panacea for stability and development of the North,’ in Kaduna on Wednesday, February, 14, Abubakar declared that with the current downturn of the economy which had inflicted untold hardships on Nigerians, all was not well with Nigeria, especially the north.

He lamented that the twin monsters confronting the nation at the moment were poverty and insecurity and if not tackled urgently, could spell doom for Nigeria.

However, the Sultan was quick to exonerate President Tinubu while noting that the sorry state of the nation was the continuation of the last administration of the All Progressives Congress, APC, under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Also speaking, the NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau, SAN, called on the President to declare a state of emergency on insecurity, in addition to ensuring the right investments in the security systems in line with global trends.

Maikyau said insecurity had left many Nigerians homeless and also destroyed many businesses, adding that the citizens were losing confidence in the Federal Government.

He urged President Tinubu to spell out his plans as well as efforts to revamp the nation’s economy.