Economic Hardship: Widow collapses because of hunger, NLC to embark on nationwide protest
A woman who claimed to be a widow, yesterday, collapsed due to hunger while walking in a market in Ibadan, Oyo State in a bid to feed her three children.
The distressing scene was captured in a viral video shared on social media on Friday.
The video shows the widow, weakened and lying on the bare floor by the roadside, surrounded by sympathizers.
According to traders in the video, the widow, who came from Amuloko in Ibadan with her three children, fainted with one of the children on her back at Oja Oba Iso Ololubo. The purpose of their journey was to buy a bag of sachet water on credit.
Traders and passersby, moved by the dire situation, began donating money for the widow in a small black plastic bucket, and her youngest child was given pap.
The widow, too weak to speak, had reportedly not eaten for four days, as per her account.
The eldest child of the widow, a girl, explained in Yoruba, “We’ve not eaten for four days.
“My mother said all of us should come to carry water and sell it so that we can find money to eat. We were walking from home, and she fell down here.”
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared a two-day nationwide notice for 27 and 28 February to protest against the economic hardship being experienced in the country.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, disclosed this on Friday during a press conference at the Labour House in Abuja.
Mr Ajaero explained that the decision to go on a protest was taken after the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum earlier issued to the federal government over the nationwide hardship.
Last week, both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) issued a two-week ultimatum to the federal government to address the food crisis or face mass protests.
In a joint statement, the NLC and TUC said they are concerned about the “non-implementation of the 16-point agreement reached with the Federal Government on October 2, 2023.”
In recent years, food prices have been on the rise across Nigeria. The situation became more complex after President Bola Tinubu announced the end of fuel subsidy payments during his inauguration as president on 29 May 2023.
The upward trend in the prices of these staples as well as other products has weakened the purchasing power of many citizens, making it difficult for many households in the country to afford daily meals.
Forex scarcity, orchestrated by exponential demand for dollars by Nigerians willing to offset bills (school fees and medical bills) abroad, as well as unremitted forex backlogs by the Central Bank of Nigeria, have further mounted pressure on the naira.
Recall that the Naira plunged to a record low on Monday after exchanging at N1,534.39 to a dollar at the official market segment.
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