Professor Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, the Country President of United Nations Positive Livelihood Award Centre (UN-POLAC) and a former Presidential candidate of Mass Action Joint Alliance (MAJA) in 2019 has called on the federal government to as matter of urgency proffer solutions to the petrol price hike and the hunger in the nation.

Princess Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, a Princess of Ira, Kwara State, North central, Nigeria stated that, “It’s unlike Kwarans, in their peaceful ‘State of Harmony’, without any previous plan, because of pressure, to have been aggravated to stage protests in major parts of the metropolis like Oloje, Oko Olowo and Zango in the Ilorin East and Ilorin West local government areas of the state, among others.”

Professor Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies opines, ‘It’s not a good sign for the country that the peaceful, considerate and humane people of Kwara State, who massively voted for the President Bola Tinubu-APC ‘Emilokan/Awalokan’ administration haven been pushed to the wall can no longer contain themselves. Lets not allow things to fall apart, let the centre hold. This is a sign of bad omen, I plead,” she appeals to the government of the day.

She added as a matter of urgency please, “Simply cut the cost of governance, reduce the pays of the governors, the upper and lower house members, increase salaries, bring down the price of fuel, fix refineries and encourage farming and importation of food.”

It’s no more news that, protesters blocked major towns in Kwara State on September 5, Thursday 2024 while commercial tricycles and motorcycle riders took to the streets to protest soaring fuel prices in Kwara State.

“They staged their protest in major parts of the metropolis like Oloje, Oko Olowo and Zango in the Ilorin East and Ilorin West local government areas of the state, among others, expressing anger at not being able to recoup money spent on buying fuel after daily operation.

*The protests left commuters stranded in Ilorin, the state capital as they had harrowing experience boarding the motorcycles and tricycles. The situation forced many commuters to resort to trekking long distance to get to their different destinations.

One of the tricycle operators, Taye Dhikhrulahi, said that they are not even thinking of making profit for now, adding that getting back the money spent on buying fuel after the operation is difficult.

He said the government needed to do something urgent to save small businesses from collapse, while he appealed to the federal government to intervene to enable them to remain in business.

The protest also caused significant disruptions in the city as many motorists were forced to turn back or find alternative routes. Shop owners along the popular Ibrahim Taiwo road have also been affected, with some forced to close their businesses temporarily.

Meanwhile, Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has directed the immediate deployment of buses to different parts of the metropolis to ease the movement of commuters.

In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, the buses would be boarded free of charge.

“The buses are to take people to the most central destinations free of charge. We hope that persons attending the SUBEB job placement interviews would find this helpful, particularly in the metropolis,” the statement said.

The governor also appealed to transporters and members of the public to exercise patience over the new fuel price hike, saying different government stakeholders are reviewing the situation with public good as a top priority and the inconveniences are regretted, and we are confident that things will ease as soon as possible.”

However, Professor Adesanya-Davies remarks, ‘It’s not a good sign for the country that the peaceful, considerate and humane people of Kwara State, who massively voted for the President Bola Tinubu-APC government could no longer hold or contain themselves, protesting by reflex. Lets not allow things to fall apart, let the centre hold. This is not a good sign at all.”

It is a fact that despite being one of the leading oil producers, Nigeria faces regular fuel shortages that have a clipping effect on the economy. This is because it relies on petroleum products that are imported by the state-owned oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Currently, the country has very little refining capacity and must bring in finished products for consumption in the country.

Moreover, Nigeria is being unfortunately currently tagged, “The poverty capital of the world.”

Thus, as regards hunger, Adesanya-Davies recommends, “that the government should ensure adequate security and provide farm incentives such as grants, subsidized inputs, loan, improved crop/livestock varieties and modern farm equipment for the rural and households farming to enable them overcome food insecurity in the country.”

Furthermore, as for the fuel hike, Adesanya-Davies implores the Bola Tinubu’s administration, “To consider overhauling of the energy sector administration, opening up the import market to other suppliers to take off pressure from NNPC, as well as, letting the newly opened Dangote Petroleum Refinery come to Nigerian’s rescue immediately.”