OAU Don, Shuaib Osunleke Speaks On Economic Hardship In Nigeria

A professor in Chemical Engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Shuaib Ajiboye Osunleke has reacted to the economic hardship facing Nigerians.

In an exclusive interview with our correspondent, he described the economic hardship as an unprecedented situation which started towards the end of the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him, “Well, it’s unprecedented. The issues are not new but have been pilling up one over the other over the years but reached a peak towards the end of the tenure of President Muhammed Buhari. That rather precarious situation started with the people not being able to have access to cash and their savings. This dire situation affected the economic and social lives of the average Nigerian in a way almost not experienced before and it snowballed into the general elections. As we were just trying to recuperate from the former tenure, the new government started by removing the fuel subsidy. The effect of this was like adding salt to injury and made things harder and frustrating for the people.

” However, on a more realistic note, this hardship is not new. It is relative and even the theme emphasising economic hardship and lack of money in circulation has been common in the lyrics of many musicians even in the 60’s. It has shown that there are periods in the past when things have been seen to be hard in the country by Nigerians. There has never been a period in Nigeria that Nigerians will say was everything about the country is okay. So, it is important we understand that the situation has been hard from time to time. The present situation nevertheless is excruciating, tough and affecting our day-to-day activities because of the effect of the two issues I mentioned above. The hikes in fuel prices have increased cost of transportation and affecting our food security as well. Inflation has increased significantly with these policies.”