The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has levied allegations against President Bola Tinubu, attributing the current economic hardship in the country to his policies and reforms.
NYCN contends that Tinubu's initiatives have resulted in a high cost of living, significantly impacting the majority of Nigerians, particularly the youth, who are grappling with widespread unemployment and underemployment.
Bishop Kanatapwa, the Vice President (North East) of NYCN, voiced these concerns at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, ahead of the scheduled August 2 protest.
The organization implored both federal and state governments to consider implementing subsidies on essential food items as part of their efforts to alleviate the economic challenges facing Nigerians, in anticipation of the nationwide protest on August 1.
The national youth body emphasized the urgency for coordinated actions by the federal and state governments to mitigate the costs of staple food items such as bread, garri, beans, yam, and rice, aiming to enable the underprivileged to meet their basic nutritional needs.
Kanatapwa stated: “We recognise President Tinubu’s efforts to improve the national economy and modernise outdated systems. However, these changes have significantly increased the cost of living, making life difficult for many, especially the youth. Many young people are struggling with unemployment and underemployment.
“These tough conditions have led many youths to support the planned hunger protests. The protest has gained strong backing from various youth leaders.”
He further called on government to grant importers of food items tax holidays immediately to help reduce prices of daily consumable goods.
Kanatapwa expressed concern that NYCN was being left out of important national programs and projects that require youth involvement, despite its support for national development and President Tinubu’s plans.
“Government at the federal and state level should swing into action to reduce prices of daily consumable goods like bread, garri, beans, yam, rice etc, to enable the downtrodden feed.
“Importers of consumable items should be granted granted Tax Holiday immediately to help reduce prices of daily consumable goods,” he said.