A Coalition of All Grant Pressure Groups and Chief Executive Officers CEOs of Non – Governmental Organizations, NGOs have called for policies that will improve the standard of living of Nigerians.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja at the end of an emergency meeting of the Group on the state of the nation, the President of the Group, Comrade Paschal Anyanwu expressed concern over the present challenges confronting the citizens.
Comrade Anyanwu who said Nigerians deserve a better standard of living due to the abundant natural and mineral resources in the country stated that the removal of fuel subsidy, inflation leading to high cost of goods and services had seriously affected the socioeconomic wellbeing of Nigerians.
He explained that the meeting was convened to brainstorm on how the Group can effectively partner the Federal Government and the Federal Capital Territory Administration to ameliorate the sufferings of the people most especially at the grassroots.
“We the CEOs of NGOs are coming together to see how we can collaborate with the Government on how to reach out to Nigerians most especially in rural areas towards benefitting from Government’s welfare programmes because we’re more closer to the people than Government at all levels” Comrade Anyanwu stressed.
According to him, “the Group has more than five thousand registered NGOs and each one of them has nothing less than four thousand followers and the CEOs of NGOs have on a daily basis being giving out food items, cash and other empowerment facilities to improve the economic wellbeing of Nigerians in the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT”.
Also speaking, the Taskforce Leader of the Group, Mrs Grace Philomena Aliyu who equally expressed concern over the high rate of insecurity in the country called for more proactive measures in combating banditry, kidnapping and other forms of criminality in the country.
While commending the move taken so far by the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike in the fight against kidnapping in the nation’s capital, Mrs Aliyu said the Group is willing to partner and support Mr Wike in achieving the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu in the FCT and the country in general.
“Most of the masses in the FCT are poor because a lot of them presently don’t have what to eat and where to live and we’re concerned about them hence the need for the Minister of FCT to partner with us because what we do basically is humanitarian services to the less privileged, widows and orphans most especially those in rural areas” she emphasized.
On his part, the Head of Training and Strategy of the Group, Comrade Stanley Robinson, said the Group has over the years empowered thousands of youths, women and other Nigerians on skills acquisition programmes across the country.
Comrade Robinson therefore advised Government at all levels to be committed to the yearnings of the people towards reducing unemployment and insecurity in the country.
He also called for effective public private sector collaboration in ensuring national peace and economic development.
Mathew Ayoola, Edited By Udoyen SNR
