Hardship: Nigerians want results, not empty words, CSO tells Tinubu

A civil rights advocacy group in Nigeria, Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), has told President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that the roadmap to reversing the current hardship experienced emphasized that Nigerians are not unsure that the President is precise at making compassionate speeches, but the mission is for the President to ensure that moves talk louder than words.

HURIWA via a press statement issued on Wednesday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, observed that there had been many glossy assurances made by the president aimed at assuaging the angst of millions of hungry, indignant and impoverished citizens, but the agency regretted that such statements are mere semantics since they are yet to turn out to be realities.

“The true test of the statesmanship and compassionate leadership is the capacity of the leader to be able within the shortest possible timeframe, to turn his promises into realistic relief programmes to ameliorate the worsening economic hardships afflicting a vast majority of the citizens,” it highlights.

The group expressed disappointment at the postponement of the takeoff date for the students’ loan scheme.

It said that just like many of the other relief measures meant to alleviate the worsening economic status of millions of Nigerians, these promises are yet to materialize.

Tinubu had said the programme would begin in January 2024, after missing the October deadline.

However, barely 48 hours before the launch, the federal government said the loan scheme was postponed due to “some corrections” that were being made around the launch.

“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to commit to a specific date.

“We are sort of waiting to ensure that all the stakeholders are aligned to make sure that nobody is blindsided, then we can actually roll this out in a meaningful, comprehensive, wholesome and sustainable way,” he said.

HURIWA said it is of the opinion that postponing the take-off of the students’ loan scheme is not in isolation just as many other compassionate speeches of the president have remained mere ‘sermons on the Rock’.