The Jamaatul Nasril Islam (JNI), under the leadership of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alh Sa’ad Abubakar III, has called on the federal government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as well as state governors to address inflation, poverty, and the food crisis bedevilling the country before it gets out of hand.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Secretary General of JNI, Professor Khalid Abubakar, on Thursday.
The statement noted that the “current trying time ordinary Nigerians are experiencing, occasioned by food insecurity, inflation, abject poverty, and insecurity, is distressing and calls for serious redress.
“The JNI, under the leadership of His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, with all sense of responsibility, calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) to urgently intervene over the difficulties Nigerians are passing through.
“This call is made over the exhilarating pains citizens are airing in both print and electronic media, inclusive of social media, wherein Minna, Niger State, Lokoja, Kogi State Protests, and other dissenting concerns are being raised.
In light of the troubling impact of hoarding and inflation on the availability and affordability of essential goods and services, particularly food items, the JNI is therefore compelled to raise its voice on the matter.
“We have been inundated with reports and pleas from ordinary Nigerians, expressing their anguish over the soaring prices of necessities.
“We urgently call on the FGN and state governments to intervene before the situation worsens.
“Likewise, all those arrested during the protests should be released, and future recurrences should be avoided through synergy and prompt interventions.
“This call has become necessary so that citizens will not be further provoked. Government functionaries are also cautioned to choose their words very carefully while addressing citizens on the matter.
“More so, the impending Ramadan fast heightens the urgency of our call, as access to three square meals becomes a luxury for many households.
“As believers, we understand that food security is synonymous with home security, as enunciated in the Glorious Qur’an 106:4.
“We equally implore the business community to resist the temptation of hoarding for selfish gains; instead, they should make essential commodities more affordable by lowering prices, to serve as an act of charity for them. Let us emulate the generosity of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by being more generous and kind, especially during Ramadan.
“As we approach Ramadan, we urge all levels of government to extend assistance to the less fortunate, as reports of their plight are both alarming and worrying.
“All stakeholders must unite in patriotic fervour to implement measures that mitigate the impact of rising food costs, ensuring Nigeria’s continued path of growth and development is not halted.
“In this time of challenge, we pray for guidance, protection, good health, and peace for all leaders, and for tranquillity to prevail in Nigeria. May Allah, the Most High, also provide the quickest relief to all problems bedevilling the Nigerian state. Amin.”
Source: Nigerian Tribune
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