Economic hardship triggers protest in Niger
… It ‘ll soon be over — Mrs Tinubu assures
By Saka Bolaji
Residents on Monday stormed the streets of Minna, the Niger State capital, protesting against the biting economic hardship in the country.
The protesters, who stormed the streets in their numbers, said the economic hardship has forced them to call the attention of the state government to their plight.
A cross section of the protesters, mainly women and youths, blocked the popular Pkagungu roundabout as they bemoaned the high cost of food and daily necessities.
Attempts by the police to disperse the crowd failed as the protesters stood their ground, blocking movement of vehicles on the road.
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It was the arrival of the Niger State Deputy Governor, Yakubu Garba at the scene however calmed the agitated crowd. Addressing the protesters, Garba appealed to them to remain calm, saying government was working tirelessly to address the situation.
He assured that the state government would continue to distribute palliatives to them to alleviate the hardship in the meantime.
The deputy governor said the state government was very much aware of the economic hardship faced by the citizens, but appealed to them to remain calm as modalities have been put in place to ease their suffering.
In a related development, the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has assured that the year 2024 is loaded with “peace, progress, prosperity and greater achievements’’ to the advantage of all Nigerians.
Mrs Tinubu gave the assurance on Monday at the State House, Abuja during a meeting with wives of state governors on her pet project, Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).
The first lady commended the governors’ wives for their efforts and support in year 2023 and urged them not to relent in addressing the needs of the vulnerable in their states.
“Times like this call for sober reflection, hence, all hands must be on deck. Moreover, the hardship situation is temporary, it will soon fade away.
“The mission of the RHI is driven by my office to complement the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration of President Tinubu,’’ she said.
She said Women Agricultural Support Programme (WASP), under her RHI, will empower 20 farmers each, from five states in the South East Zone.
“These farmers will get N500,000 each and a total draft of N10 million will be given to five RHI state coordinators as the case may be.
“The National Agricultural Land Development Authority in partnership with the RHI will support an additional 80 female farmers from each state with the provision of training and capacity building and agricultural inputs.
“We will buy-off all produce from the farms after harvest,’’ she said.
Mrs Tinubu said she would soon launch “Young Farmers Club’’ in public schools across the nation to encourage farming among the youth population.
She said schools with the best farms would be identified, and prizes would be given to them, ranging from school renovations, equipping of school science laboratories, provision of ICT equipment and upgrading of school libraries.
On her programme, “Every Home a Garden’’ competition, the first lady said the overall best garden owner will win the sum of N20m by December.
She urged the governors’ wives to update her on the progress made on the programme.
According to the first lady, other areas of focus of the RHI include economic empowerment, health and social investment.
