Hon. Shina Peller, the Ayedero of Yorubaland and former federal lawmaker, has expressed deep concern over the worsening economic situation in Nigeria, stating that the country is in a state of distress.
Peller while responding to questions from journalist at Nigerian Union Journalists , Oyo state council during the annual ramadan lecture he sponsored lamented the rising level of hardship, emphasizing that Nigerians are struggling to survive.
“There is hunger in the land, people are not happy. And you will agree with me that a hungry person is an angry person. The country, at this time, is going through a lot. I don’t know what magic the present administration will do, but when I look at the situation, things are getting worse day by day. It makes one fearful,” he said.
He also decried what he described as the shrinking space for free speech in the country, noting that many Nigerians are afraid to speak out against the government.
“There is no freedom of speech anymore. It is either people are scared of what the government will do to them, or those who have the capacity to speak are busy embezzling money and do not want to lose their positions.”
Despite the challenges, Peller remains hopeful that Nigeria can overcome its difficulties, urging citizens to maintain faith in the nation’s future.
Hon. Peller also weighed in on Nigeria’s political landscape, calling for politicians to put national interest above personal ambitions. He emphasized the need for a formidable opposition party to challenge the ruling administration effectively.
“We are at a stage where people should try to drop their ambition and come together to fight to rescue the soul of Nigeria. If we want to do that, all politicians should try as much as possible to drop individual interests and create a collective national interest.”
On the issue of political mergers, he acknowledged the challenges within opposition parties, stating that both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) have been compromised. However, he noted that not all politicians within these parties are corrupt and called on those with integrity to unite for the greater good.
“We know that the PDP has been compromised, the Labour Party has been compromised, but it’s not everybody in these parties that is compromised. There are still good elements. These good elements should work together to form a formidable opposition.”
“Democracy needs a functional opposition so that there can be constructive criticism of the government, whether we like it or not, Nigerian is not a one party state and we don’t practice Oligarchy in Nigeria, we practice democracy and this is the only thing that i think should be done “
