According to the Country President of UTA Nigeria, Princess Abigail Amalaha, through dialogue, pro-protest agitators and government would reach a workable agreement with regards to federal government’s request to be given some time for the benefits of its programmes to manifest. Princess Amalaha, however advised the government to take some measures to solve the prevailing economic difficulties in order to reduce hardship being suffered by the citizenry. The organisation offered some suggestions that could help the government to achieve the desired result. The Country President said: “There is an urgent need to put in place wholesome programs and policies that would address food insecurity, security challenges, agitations, and growing disenchantment of Nigerians with the government. “On the planned nationwide protest, we recommend the option of dialogue between the organisers and the federal government. Through dialogue, time frame can be reached for the impact of the measures so far put in place by the government to be felt. “We want to make some suggestions, which we believe, if considered and implemented, would go a long way in helping Nigeria experience quick socio-economic recovery. “As a matter of urgency, the federal government needs to establish programmes that would make the teeming youths of the country actively engaged, like consciously revamping and resuscitating industries, which will lead to massive job creation. The government should also widen the scope of support for small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) so that more youth would benefit and start small businesses. The government should support individuals and organisations that have youth empowerment programmes. “To guarantee food security and arrest the rising cost of food items, the government should sustain efforts in boosting agriculture. “The effort can be intensified by making the Bank of Agriculture more active and responsive to farmers’ and agricultural firms’ needs. The Bank of Agriculture should increase agricultural credit finances and offer to farmers in accordance with its mandate. Also, the government should ensure that fertilizer and agricultural implements are available at subsidised prices as well as train farmers on off-season farming as well as provide facilities to ensure all-year-round farming. “Part of efforts to boost agriculture and promote economic growth is for the government to address security issues in the country. It is, therefore, imperative that the government does everything within its powers to arrest insecurity so that Nigerians would have the confidence to go about their businesses. Security breeds economic growth. “There is a need for cut down on the cost of governance. At a time of economic challenges, the government’s size should be shrinking rather than burgeoning. The federal government should be thinking of merging ministries instead of increasing them. The government should also find a way of cutting the allowances and perks of office of government officials. The recent offer by members of the House of Representatives to earn half salary for six months, as part of their sacrifice, in an effort to reducing cost of governance, is a step in the right direction. The executive, both at federal and state levels, should do likewise. “Since education is the bedrock for development, the government, as a matter of urgency, should look into the issue of out-of-school children, enforce tuition-free policy as well as update and upgrade the facilities in all government educational institutions across the country. The government should also integrate entrepreneurial and vocational training in the curriculum of both secondary and tertiary institutions across the country. The issue of child right in line with the United Nations charter and that of Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations should also be prioritized by the government. “Though the government has introduced various palliative measures through the distribution of grains and various food items across the country, this should just be a stop-gap measure. The government should evolve a more permanent measure to solve the problem of hunger in the land. “While we applaud government for the current increase of the minimum wage of civil servants from N30,000 monthly to N70,000, we hope that there will be sincerity and diligence in implementation and that workers would be paid when due. “We acknowledge that economic challenges are not peculiar to Nigeria. However, we know that the solution to the problem lies in the hands of the leadership. Nigerians are looking up to the leadership to take the country out of the woods.” Identifying the issues in Nigeria, the UTA Nigeria stated: “We have noted the hardship being experienced by Nigerians, arising from economic challenges the country is facing. We have noted the rising cost of food, transportation, medicine, healthcare services, housing, and living generally, exacerbated by the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy and the volatility of the foreign exchange regime. “It is important for us to also point out the hardship being faced by people with disability, who seem to have been neglected in the scheme of things. While the able bodied are complaining of prevalent hardship in the country, the plight of the physically challenged can better be imagined. “We have noted the exodus of Nigerian professionals and the workforce in search of greener pastures abroad. We have noted insecurity across the country, as kidnapping, banditry, insurgency, and sundry crimes are on the rise. We have noted restiveness among the youths, who are the most hit by the ugly situation in the country. We are worried about these.” The UTA Nigeria commended the media for their unflinching support. On its activities since inception two years ago, Princess Amalaha said: “We are happy to say that we had brought the plights of Nigerians in IDP camps to international attention with presentations at UN fora in Geneva and have engaged in advocacy on peace building, unity, and equality across the country.” 0