Ex Police Service Commission Chair Decries Rapid Rising Cost of Living, Others

Paschal Emeka, Abuja | Posted June 18, 2024

The former Police Service Commission (PSC) Chairman, Chief Simon Okeke, has decried the rising hyper inflation in the country, adding that the interest rates, foreign exchange rates and prices of goods and services are rising beyond imagination, to the detriment of well being of Nigerians.

Although, he noted that things have gone bad before President Tinubu came to power, he called for urgent intervention from government, before things get out of hands.

The elder statesman voiced his concerns while addressing Journalists in his office over the weekend on the performance of President Bola Tinubu in the last one year.

“Well, as for President Tinubu’s assessment in one year in office, a lot of things have gone wrong, before he came on board, but watching his efforts to improve or lessen the budden of the past bad governance, It is not clear to me that things are getting better, rather, one will say, things are getting worst, under him.

“Possibly, not because of Tinubu, but because of the fact that there are some aspects of the country you cannot control.

“Prices are going higher and higher; interest rates are moving up and up, making cost of living and development very high; exchange rate is worsening daily, and one could say that, the rise in the exchange rate started at Mr President’s inaugural speech; when he said that he has withdrawn fuel subsidy; making the price of fuel to go to the sky, and at the same time withdrew the support of the Naira, as against the Dollar and other currencies; thereby worsening the value of Naira, making prices of goods and services above the reach of the people.

“Things are really bad and I hope they will improve,” he prayed.

While commending Mr President for improvement in roads infrastructure and the recent commissioning of the residential quarters of the Viice President, the Ochendo Amichi, however advised Nigerians to continue to hope in God, even as he suggests that perhaps God wants to use the condition in the country to teach Nigerians some lessons of sanity.

Speaking on the impasse between the government and the workers, over the new minimum wage, he said: “The increase in the minimum wage being demanded by the organised labour was not caused by President Tinubu, but by the high cost of things.

“Let’s hope that the issue of minimum wage will be settled amicably. I wonder how much that should be paid to a person, for him/her to live well.”

Reacting to the decision of Mr President to send an executive Bill to the Senate, for legislative action, Chief Okeke wondered if the Senate has the power to do so, even as he rhetorically asked: “If the Senate is to decide the minimum wage for workers, who decided their own?”

Stating that each Senator and House of Representatives Member receives about N30 million and N20 million monthly and wondered why someone who lives in the same country with them and goes to the same market, will be receiving N30 thousand.

“What kind of country is that? It is criminal, to say the least,” he queried?

On the call for reduction of the salaries and allowances of the legislators, so as to be able to pay the workers, he queried: “Are the National Assembly members, the ones to decide their pays? Is there no separate body that decides that? How can? I remember when I was in service, during the time of Obasanjo, there was a body that decided what we earned, likewise that of the President.

“What has happened to that body? Something is wrong and we should go back to the drawing board.”