Nigerians borrowing, skipping meals, selling assets to survive, says Oxfam

• FG workers write Head of Civil Service, say inflation eroding salaries
• Ask for a 30% Cost of Living Allowance, outstanding promotion arrears

Oxfam International has reacted to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report on ‘State of Food Insecurity and Nutrition in the World 2022’, which notes that 828 million people were hungry in 2021, an increase of 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement released by Country Director, Dr. Vincent Ahonsi, in Abuja, yesterday, Oxfam said the situation has forced many people to skip meals, sell livestock or land, take out loans, and withdraw their children from school, with girls, most often, the first.

The statement reads: “In Nigeria, pockets of droughts and conflicts are either making farming difficult or forcing arable lands to be abandoned with food prices drastically going up, preventing the poorest from access to food.

“It is deeply concerning that global hunger has been spiralling since 2019, and is now at such devastating levels around the world. This is happening not just because of a shortage of food alone, but rather as a consequence of broken food systems, supply chain disruptions occasioned by conflicts, effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and worsening climate change.”

Oxfam noted that with more than 27 million people currently suffering from hunger in the West Africa region and another 11 million facing the possibility of going hungry, there couldn’t be a more perfect hunger storm.

THIS was as Federal Government staff, under the banner of the Federal Workers’ Forum (FWF), declared that rising cost of living and inflation have greatly weakened their purchasing power.

The Forum made this known in a letter addressed to the Head of Service (HSF) of the Federation, signed by its National Coordinator, Andrew Emelieze.

Titled, ‘Need for Your Intervention Concerning the Plight of Federal Workers in Nigeria, Pay Cost of Living Allowance (COLA)’, the workers lamented the great difficulty they face trying to make ends meet.

They also appealed to the HSF to look into the non-payment of outstanding promotion arrears of workers and Duty Tour Allowance (DTA).

The workers said: “We write to bring to your attention some of the challenges confronting us as working people. Foremost, with a fixed wage, our salaries have been eroded with the rising high cost of living and inflation we are experiencing in Nigeria. It has been extremely very difficult for us to make ends meet. And as such, workers have gone borrowing.

“Unfortunately, we noticed that some of our colleagues’ salaries have been stopped as a result of overborrowing. We are appealing to you to help intervene and temper justice with mercy and help reinstate the salaries of the affected officers to prevent double jeopardy. We are also appealing that you help us look into the non-payment of outstanding promotion arrears of workers and their DTA.

“It is also painful to note that workers have been going for promotion interviews and DTA is not paid to them. Of late, most of the workers that did the directorate cadre exams were not paid a single kobo, despite travelling to Abuja twice for accreditation, examinations and staying weeks in Abuja.

“We appeal that, in the face of economic realities on the ground in Nigeria, you consider COLA to be paid to Federal Government workers. Our humble suggestion is that we have 30 per cent of our salaries paid as monthly COLA. We, the workers, are sending you this proposal and we know that you will agree with us that this is a just proposal.

“We believe strongly that if you achieve this existential request of COLA for federal workers, perhaps it will help swing other employers of labour into doing the same to their workforce, thus helping to reduce the general hardship Nigerian workers are going through.”