The Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, has warned that 2022 will be a difficult year for Nigerians if the Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government fails to restructure the country.
The Yoruba chief gave the warning while speaking during the 2nd edition of Odo Erelu festival in Lagos.
The leader of the Oodua Peoples Congress lamented the poor state of the Nigerian economy.
Gani Adams said: “For instance, British pound sterling is 700 at the moment to our naira, while the dollar is put at 578 and Euro is currently 656 at the official rate. Our naira continues to fall to the global currencies. And this has affected the exchange rates in the global market.
“The economy is obviously not stable. Prices of essential food and commodities are on the high side. A bag of rice produced here in Nigeria is put at N25, 000, while garri, which is also a very important commodity for the low income earner is no longer affordable to the people.
“Today in Nigeria, nothing is free because everything has been monetized. And corruption has taken its toll on the entire system. Meanwhile, inflation and the current economic downturn have triggered the growing spate of insecurity across the country.
“In Nigeria today, the middle class could hardly survive the harsh economic crisis while the lower class are languishing in poverty. We don’t need a prophet to tell us that by 2022, the naira might still slip further beyond what we can salvage because prices of commodities have gone beyond our reach.
“From the present economic situation in the country, if President Buhari fails to save the economy from collapsing before December, this year, God forbids, we should be ready for a very tough time by 2022.
“Federating units will allow each region to be able to harness the social, political and economic potentials of their respective regions. It will boost agriculture and provide effective security for farmers.”
