A former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Dr Samson Ayokunle, says the Federal Government must take drastic measures to tame inflation which has become unbearable for Nigerians.

Ayokunle, also a former President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, was a guest on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political programme aired on Channels Television on Friday.

The cleric lamented the volatility in the economy in the last one year.

He recalled an incident that happened earlier in the year when he bought cement to build a poultry house.

“I was to do a small poultry and they (the bricklayers) said I would need a small house which they call the pen. They would floor it and buy cement. By that time, cement was N5,300. When I learnt that cement was N5,300, I shouted. Only one bag?!

“I paid for the number of cements that was needed for that small pen. But unfortunately, the estimate was not right because the bags of cement couldn’t complete it. They came to me and said everything has changed, and a bag of cement became N11,000. I said, ‘What!’ I almost fainted. How many weeks difference?

“This is the Nigeria we are talking about where the economy is not stable at all. You can’t predict the prices of goods. What is even worse is the price of medicine,” he said.

‘Sustainable Living Wage’

The cleric said workers should be paid decent living wage that would deter them from delving into sharp practices.

“Minimum wage should be what we allow people to wear clothes, allow them to put food on the table for their family members and allow them to take care of basic necessities like their health.

“Even if they don’t build houses, they should be able to pay their rent. It should be the one that will allow the people to work in offices and not steal,” he said.

Ayokunle lamented that despite the economic hardship biting the masses, politicians continue to be insensitive and revel in ostentatious lifestyles and earn different types of fat allowances.

He said it was unfortunate that leaders in the country have no vision but concerned about living large at the expense of the populace.

“It is not only corruption that is killing us; another thing that is killing us is lazy leadership. A leadership that is not ready to take the bull by the horn and turn this nation from a consumption economy to a production economy,” he said.

He added there was nothing wrong if Nigeria has 700,000 policemen because “if the security matter is not attended to, there can’t be development. Investors won’t come.” (Channels TV)

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