Economic hardship: Anxiety as Imo youths resort to unconventional means of livelihood

From Victor Duruamaku, Owerri

The current economic hardship hitting all nooks and crannies of the country is now taking its toll on the people of Imo state.

Following this development, some youths in the state now resort to unconventional means of livelihood.

A survey by our correspondent in Imo indicates that as a result of this situation some people now get involved in criminal activities to make ends meet.

According to an Owerri based economist, Dr Felix Ubochi Adindu, “this kind of situation, is usually the case in any country or state.”

Adindu said further that people as human beings find something to keep body and soul together, explaining, “that is the reason, every government should strive hard to provide job opportunities for the people especially the unemployed youths.”

In his own reaction, another economic expert, Mr Johnson Ezeagu Ibe noted that anxiety is really engulfing the state, giving the high level of suffering the people are passing through in the state.

He called on the state and Federal government to urgently remedy the situation.

According to him, “Nigerians need permanent measure to cushion the hardship and not all these temporary palliatives which is not going round.”

He noted that some unpatriotic top government officials have cashed in on the issued palliatives by cutting corners.

“Government should create jobs by establishing industries to accommodate the teeming unemployed people especially the youths,” he emphasized.

The economist noted, ” the most important thing government should do to get the economy running is to create a very peaceful atmosphere for investors, both local and foreign to come in.”

He decried the situation, whereby the already established multi-national companies in Nigeria are relocating to other countries.

Also contributing, a business woman and CEO of a shopping mall in Owerri, Chief (Mrs) Agnes Okwuchi Udemba decried the economic situation which she attributed to the removal of oil subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

She said, ” the removal of oil subsidy was a very bad gift to the people of this country by President Tinubu.”

Chief (Mrs) Udemba stated that the only way the Federal Government could cushion the effect of the removal would be to create an agency, give it more power backed up by law, to check and control prices of goods and services in the country.

She suggested that the state governments should be made to establish such agency in their states to work hand in hand with the federal agency, pointing out that allowing the present situation to continue, would give economic saboteur an advantage.

The business guru added that the present economic hardship has led to some untimely deaths as a several people could not pay their hospital bills, calling on government to quickly intervene