THE FEDERATION of Informal Workers’ Organisations of Nigeria (FIWON) has stated that workers in the informal sector of the Nigerian economy remained the worst victims of the policies of government particularly since the Covid-19 period in 2020.
In a statement signed by Comrade Frances Bamidele Onokpe and Comrade Gbenga Komolafe, President and General Secretary respectively, FIWON said the Covid-19 lockdowns resulted in terrible hunger, suffering and death of many working people in the informal sector.
According to FIWON, palliatives meant for operators in the informal sector were diverted to politicians’ homes; while the cashless policy imposed on Nigerians in 2023 also destroyed many small businesses and livelihoods.
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In the statement, entitled: “End Hunger, End Suffering Now!”, the organisation lamented that under the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the over 300% petrol price increase and the policy of floating the naira exchange value against foreign currencies which resulted in gross devaluation of the naira has also resulted in food famine while cost of other essentials goods and services have more than trebled in less than a year.
FIWON therefore wondered how the trillions of naira shared to governors and the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry to assist poor working people and the vulnerable have been spent.
“We only hear stories of how billions of naira have been stolen by public officials in charge of these funds! Meanwhile, government has no plan to make local refineries work while available dollars are used to import fuel. This situation compounds the foreign exchange crisis resulting in the free fall in value of the naira!,” the statement pointed out.
The union is therefore demanding, among other things, the full repair of all local refineries within the next 6 months, reversal of the fuel pump price to pre-29th May, 2023 prices, the stoppage of naira floating to reverse the free fall of the naira as the floating of the naira benefits only a few rich people with dollars while making goods and services more expensive for poor people and the introduction of social safety nets targeting workers in the informal economy which must be disbursed through organisations of the working people themselves to avoid a few government officials stealing palliative measures designed to help the working poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
FIWON is also advocating for the provision of free and quality education as a right and not as a commodity to make money; universal access to quality public health services as the health insurance scheme is not working in the informal sector because of irregular incomes to pay; taxing the rich and reduction of the huge allowances paid to public officers, among others.
