Economic hardship: Barrister Uzuegbu urges President Tinubu to reserve punitive policies

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Chief Ben Uzuegbu, SAN

By Alphonsus Nweze, Onitsha

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and an Onitsha-based legal practitioner, Chief Ben Uzuegbu, has said the only way to address the present economic logjam in Nigeria is for President Bola Tinubu to reverse all the policies which has caused hardship, suffering and hunger for the citizens of the country.

Speaking with newsmen in his office in Onitsha, Anambra State, the SAN said the President should be humble enough to reverse all the policues and begin to implement them gradually in a way it would not seriously harm the citizens.

Some of the policies, said Chief Uzuegbu include abrupt removal of subsidy on petrolatum products, floating of naira which has massively devalued the currency and recently the astronomical increment in power tariff.

He argued that there is no government in the world which does not have one thing or the other it subsidises.

He lamented that President Tinubu’s policies of subsidy withdrawal on petrolatum products, floating of naira and currently increased in electricity tarrif have jerked up the prices of food items and other consumer goods beyond the reach of Nigerians.

Uzuegbu who is also the Deputy Chancellor, Diocese on Niger in Onitsha, Anglican Communion, Anambra State, said the slide to this economic mess started with Buhari but Tinubu instead of working to shore up the economy has worsened it, making Buhari a saint.

“We are not asking for magic but let people enjoy the Eldorado the politicians are promising”, said the Senior Advocate.

Talking on the people ‘s perception of judiciary as having being corrupted, Chief Uzuegbu said the truth is that all the institutions in the country have been virtually corrupted.

“They are not in the best shape. The hope of ordinary man getting justice has been dashed by the longevity of cases. The institutions are not functioning as they ought to. They are no more functioning optimally. The politicians have mismanaged it. And the politicians who implemented the constitution the military imposed on Nigerians were worse than the military. They are corrupt, greedy,. We need to strengthen the institutions to work optimally for the people of Nigeria,” said Chief Uzuegbu.