A former Special Adviser to Ondo State Governor on Health matters and ex-National President of the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Professor Dayo Faduyile, has expressed concern over the prevailing economic hardship.
He said the economic woes had caused psychological effects that include cases of depression, aggressiveness and possible suicide
The Don stated this during the first Public lecture organised by the Senior Staff Association Of Nigeria Universities, (SSANU), Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, AAUA Chapter with a topic; "Existential Realities Of Fuel Subsidy Removal And Its Effects On The Mental Health Of Nigerian University Workers, Overcoming The Challenges".
While examining positive and negative effects of fuel subsidy on citizens, Prof Faduyile pointed out that "the increase fuel pump price and its attendant effects on all aspect of our lives will further cause emotional trauma and torture on the psyche of those who are struggling to feed, broken homes and increase cases of divorce and suicide.
"The psychological effects of fuel subsidy removal and invariably increase on pump price include cases of depression, aggressiveness and possible suicide. Lack of income or lack of adequate funds as income is a cause of poverty. The WHO has described poverty as the greatest cause of suffering on earth. There are various direct effects of relative poverty on the development of emotional, behavioural and psychiatric problem.
"A person can be said to be mentally healthy of he/she is able to think logically and rationally and can cope effectively in stressful.
He explained that people rely mostly on fuel for their day to day activities, hence the reason the policy has affected everybody.
"The government should be open, they should be more responsible to the need of the people, corruption has caused lot of problems for us, we should be able to get that corruption index lowered and be more accountable.
"The poor people rely on fuel mostly for transportation, it has affected food prices and the likes, however for the rich, especially those who are into manufacturing, who have machinery, they have to pay more, I think the rich are also affected, but the rate is at the side of the poor", the former Special Adviser said.
He proceeded that University workers should also find alternative to their incomes.
"We have to be positive about this situation and trust our government, the people should start cutting cost, we can leave our private car sometimes and take public transport, we have to look for other means of sustaining ourselves," Faduyile said.
In an address, the Chairman of SSANU, AAUA Chapter, Comrade Olutayo Ogungbeni opined that the government should look into giving living wage to the workers as this would reduce the hardship that is being experienced by the masses.
Ogungbeni said, "the first public Lecture of this union today is a success story, I was inaugurated as the chairman I vow to change the oration of unionism, that we need to contribute to the society through this.
"For the first time, we are celebrating those who retired from this University, we have to do it to give them the recognition that they served us well".
"The public Lecture makes us to know that we need to interact, if we interact with one another, we would not feel the effects of this fuel subsidy to much.
"The fuel subsidy has brought lot of hardships, the first thing to do in cushioning the effect is to give us living wage instead of minimum wage, the minimum wage cannot still cater for our needs, things are increasing but the salary has been constant, our people are suffering. We want to employ the government to fast track the issue of living wage so that our people can smile, our people are not happy, with this lecture, I know people will know what to do".
Also Speaking, the SSANU National Vice President for the SouthWest zone, Comrade (Dr.) Abdusobur Olayiwola Salaam, said the solution to the removal of fuel subsidy is for government cushioning the effect.
"One of those things that must be done by the government is the national minimum wage that is being reviewed, must be attended to, That would give a living wage to average Nigeria worker, not only at the federal level but it should also get to the state level, most state should attend to this".
He lamented that the effect has affected the mental health of University workers and citizens at large. "We have to practice on how to maintain our mental health in the face of these challenges".
"What we have been telling our members is to see how they would take care of themselves, because of the economy situation, but the major thing is that government should come with policies that would resolve the hike of fuel," said Olayiwola.
Representing the university's Vice Chancellor, Professor Olugbenga Ige, the Dean of Postgraduate School, Professor Benson Akinowonu, said the school management is doing her best in caring for the welfarism of the University workers and retirees in the face of the economic hardship caused by the fuel subsidy removal.
"We are surviving the fuel subsidy removal, it is a national policy, the University has taken the bull by the horn to make sure that the welfare of the staff is given topmost perority, before we have random of activities, but now full activities has resumed and our staff are coping.
"The federal government has its own roles to play, the palliatives are being given but it has not reached the University staff, recollect that about few days ago, the staff unions protested (over #35,000 wage award), now the government is looking into it".
"For those who had retired from the University, management has been making sure that their welfare is being taken care of, for instance we have been paying their pension on monthly basis, but the gratitude aspect is what the University has been working on, but the University needs to meet with the government to ensure that our allocations are increased, if our allocations are increased we would be able to attend that, we want them to be patient with the university, very soon they would be attended to," the VC said.
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