A prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has called on President Bola Tinubu to take urgent action to ease the growing economic hardship faced by Nigerians.
The plea came from Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, a former lawmaker, during a media briefing in Osogbo on Sunday.
Oyintiloye, a member of the defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), highlighted the rising economic challenges caused by the recent increase in fuel prices, electricity tariffs, and the cost of basic goods such as food and cooking gas, which have made daily living increasingly difficult for Nigerians.
He noted that while he has confidence in President Tinubu’s commitment to improving the situation, the suffering of the masses has reached a point where immediate relief measures are essential.
“Nigerians are hopeful that there will be a positive turnaround in the country, but measures to achieve this must be accelerated,” Oyintiloye said.
“There is no doubt that the president is doing everything humanly possible to ameliorate the suffering of the masses, but a faster approach must be considered.”
He also pointed to bureaucratic delays as a major barrier to progress, urging President Tinubu to remove any obstacles that might be slowing down the implementation of policies designed to ease the burden on Nigerians.
“The president should ensure that every bureaucratic bottleneck that is impeding the swift implementation of policies that will put smiles on the faces of the masses is removed,” Oyintiloye added.
“The economic suffering the masses are currently going through is becoming unbearable, and the president must act fast.”
The APC chieftain specifically referenced the delay in implementing the president’s earlier directive for a 150-day suspension of customs duties and taxes on imported food items, such as maize, rice, and wheat. Despite the directive being issued nearly two months ago, Oyintiloye said the policy has yet to be enforced.
“The president gave a directive to the authorities of the Nigeria Customs Services for a 150-day duty-free window to allow the importation of maize, husked brown rice, and wheat, and almost two months after, this is yet to be implemented,” he said.
“That is not good enough. The president cannot be everywhere, and that is why his foot soldiers must be proactive in taking steps to achieve the president’s desire.”
Warning of growing frustration among Nigerians, Oyintiloye concluded with a plea for more decisive action: “The masses are angry and hungry. And that is why all measures to ameliorate this should be implemented very quickly.”