OCSC Decry Worsening Economic Hardship in Nigeria

As Nigeria marked Democracy Day on June 12th, the Osun Civil Societies Coalition (OCSC), an umbrella body representing civil society groups in Osun State, issued a strongly-worded statement lamenting the country’s deteriorating economic conditions.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Comrade Waheed Lawal, the OCSC used the occasion to call on President Bola Tinubu to urgently address the mounting hardship and poverty afflicting Nigerians.

The statement reflected on the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, describing it as a murdered opportunity to set Nigeria on the right track for all-encompassing development. It lamented that the manifesto of the election’s presumed winner, Chief MKO Abiola, which promised basic amenities and prosperity for the masses, remains unfulfilled 31 years later.

Accusing the nation’s successive governments of taking Nigerians for granted, the OCSC stated: “The lessons and gains of June 12 appeared to be missing at the corridor of power at all levels.Nigeria’s rulers across the divide appear to have learned nothing and forgotten everything.”

The coalition blamed decades of bad governance by unpatriotic and self-centered elite, both military and civilian leaderships across all tribes and religions, for the exploitation, oppression, poverty, insecurity, banditry and violent deaths plaguing the masses nationwide.

Turning its attention to the current administration, the statement was scathing in its criticism of President Tinubu’s economic policies, which it described as World Bank and IMF teleguided. It asserted that the removal of fuel subsidies, increased electricity tariffs, and the devaluation of the naira have unleashed unprecedented hardship, stifling productivity, crippling small businesses, eroding purchasing power, driving up food prices, and fostering hunger and starvation.

The OCSC urged President Tinubu to deviate from the path prescribed by the World Bank and IMF, asserting: “It is now clear that no political party or political actor of even the best substance can deliver any change, so long as the erroneous warped system remains in place.”

In conclusion, the coalition’s Democracy Day message conveyed a resounding call for urgent presidential action to alleviate the economic suffering of the Nigerian people.