ActionAid Calls for Social Protection Measures following Hike in Food, Fuel Prices
ActionAid has called for the roll out of social protection measures, which targets women and girls, following the upsurge in the cost of food and fuel products.
The call was made by Ene-Obi, Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, after a new report published by ActionAid International revealed that the prices of food, fuel, and fertilizer in some of the world’s poorest communities is soaring, with families spending double, triple, and nearly four times what they were paying before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Ene-Obi noted that the social protection measures must include cash transfers and food support to assist families most at risk.
She said, “The Ukraine-Russia war has worsened the cost of living in many parts of the world, but the gaps in governance and lack of social safety-net have thrown more Nigerians into the abyss of poverty.
The current hyper-inflation has made the meagre income of many Nigerians insignificant; for a government committed to lifting 100million Nigerian out of poverty, there is a need for reflection and immediate action.
“Rising public debt, unemployment, inflation, and high cost of living require the immediate embracing of fiscal federalism in absolute terms.
This will enable the country to break the vicious cycle of poverty. It will eliminate the wholesale dependence on oil, making Nigeria a monolithic economy.
“Adopting fiscal federalism principles will be a practical approach to solving the challenges governments at all levels face today, such as the generation and equitable distribution of income, efficient and effective allocation of resources, and economic stability. Revenue drive and allocation of resources can be done effectively by states and local governments with strong measures to curtail graft and corruption,” the Country Director added.
In Nigeria, findings show that the price of wheat bread has increased by up to 59% in Sanrab, a semi-urban community in Kwara state. In the Yobe state urban community of Nasarawa, the price of wheat bread has increased by up to 67%. In Lagos, the price increase has been up to 127%. In rural areas of Kaduna, fertilizer prices have increased by up to 11%.
Simultaneously, the price of sunflower cooking oil has risen by up to 111% in some areas of Lagos.
ActionAid’s analysis finds that, at the local community level, food and fuel price hikes are far outstripping already record-breaking rises globally, suggesting the Ukraine war has exacerbated ongoing food and fuel price challenges in communities most impacted by the climate crisis, humanitarian emergencies, and political and economic turmoil.