The House of Representatives has advised the federal government to address the rising cost of living to tackle Nigerians’ hardship.
This followed the adoption of a motion by Rep. Isiaka Ibrahim (APC-Ogun) at plenary in Abuja on Tuesday.
Moving the motion titled “Urgent Intervention on Reducing Cost of Living”, Mr Ibrahim said the rising cost of living was unbearable.
He said the impact was deadly on individuals and families, adding that there was an urgent need for government intervention to address the issue.
The lawmaker said the skyrocketing cost of housing, food, healthcare, and education had increased hardship.
“The current inflation has eroded the purchasing power of individuals with higher prices for goods and services.
“Stagnant wages and limited job opportunities have also further exacerbated the financial strain on individuals and families, making it increasingly difficult to make ends meet,” he said.
He said rising living costs were particularly severe for low-income groups, who had been forced to make difficult choices between basic necessities.
Contributing, Rep. Ahmed Jaha (APC-Borno) said, “If we as lawmakers are comfortable in our comfort zone, we should understand that our constituents are not, and so we are sitting on a time bomb.
“We don’t need soothsayers to tell you that people are hungry; there must be a patriotic measure to bring back this country.
“The cost of staple food has increased by almost 500 per cent. We have an issue in Nigeria with capital inflow to our country, particularly the diaspora.”
Rep. Kingsley Chinda (PDP-Rivers) said, “With what we are facing in Nigeria today, can we truly say the welfare of the people is the priority of the government?”
He said much still needed to be done because the people lived in poverty.
“Our duty is to bring joy to Nigerians, as some of us find it difficult to go home because of the current challenges.
“We must assist the security agencies to improve the situation in the country; the motion is a wake-up call for us. Let us not look at it from the angle of partisan politics,” the lawmakers said.
Adopting the motion, the House appealed to the federal government to distribute food from the national food reserve to Nigerians to cushion the effects of the current food inflation.
The House urged that poultry products, meats, beverages, healthcare products, and pharmaceutical products be imported from the top exporting countries in the world as a short-term measure.
The House also called for increased food production and improved distribution by ensuring adequate fertilisers and crop diversification access.
(NAN)
